Second plane diverted after cockpit fight on Dubai to Tel Aviv flight

A commercial plane travelling from Dubai to Israel plummeted 17,400 feet in just over two minutes as a “violent incident” broke out between two pilots – with a second flight diverted later on Wednesday.

The Flydubai plane was forced to divert and land in Saudi Arabia after an emergency signal was sent from the aircraft at 8.32am local time while passing over the kingdom.

A Flydubai spokesperson said flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv “experienced an incident while en route” and landed at Tabuk Airport in northwest Saudi Arabia.

Citing security officials, Israeli media reported that the incident stemmed from a feud between the plane’s two pilots, and everyone on board was safe. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fight.

Later on Wednesday a second Flydubai flight heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv was turned back in the air and diverted back to the emirate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the situation regarding the first flight was under control and “all measures are now being taken to safely return the Israeli passengers to Israel”.

An Israeli official said the incident was not a hijacking, adding that they understood it to be an internal personnel incident onboard.

Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held a security consultation and Israeli fighter jets were scrambled after the emergency signal was sent, an Israeli military spokesperson told ITV News’ North American partner CNN.

The emergency landing in Tabuk marked a rare mass arrival of Israelis in Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to Israel-bound flights and Israeli airlines in 2022 as part of a US-brokered push for normalisation.

Riyadh says it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without an independent Palestinian state.

Emergency landings for personnel reasons are rare yet not unheard of.

In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight, though it did not have to be diverted and landed as planned.