Pilot fight led to landing in Tabuk

A Fly Dubai aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv changed its route and made an emergency landing in the city of Tabuk in northern Saudi Arabia on August 30.

According to Flight Radar 24, the Boeing 737 first sent a distress signal 7700 during the flight, and then code 7500, which is used in cases of possible hijacking.

After that, the aircraft changed its route and headed towards Saudi Arabia. Fly Dubai confirmed that there was an incident on board and that the aircraft made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, without disclosing details.

According to Reuters, citing sources in Israel, the distress signal was sent after a fight between the pilots. Later, several Israeli officials reported that they were considering the possibility of a terrorist attack.

Israeli media report that one of the pilots was a citizen of Oman, while the other was a citizen of the UAE. Preliminary data suggests that a fight broke out between them, and one of the pilots allegedly stabbed the other. Earlier reports indicated that the fight involved pilots who were citizens of Ukraine and Russia. Israeli sources state that after the fight began, passengers and crew members helped regain control of the situation.

According to Flight Radar 24, the aircraft descended 14,000 feet (over 4,000 meters) in less than 30 minutes, after which the Boeing 737 continued its flight and ultimately landed in Tabuk.

The Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk reported that on Tuesday at 8:44 local time, an emergency message was received for flight FZ-1073, and a state of emergency was declared at the airport. The aircraft landed at 9:45 local time.

It later became known that the captain of the flight and the co-pilot sustained serious injuries and were immediately taken to the hospital.

Despite this, all details of the incident, including the exact reasons for the conflict between the pilots, the circumstances of their injuries, and possible actions by one of the crew members, have not yet been officially established.

 All information about what happened on board, including the fight between the pilots, is based on passenger accounts and data from Israeli media.

Fly Dubai has not yet provided an official version and has not confirmed information about a terrorist attack.

 Israeli authorities initially stated that the incident should not be considered a hijacking. However, after new data emerged regarding the fight between the pilots, they began discussing the possibility of intentional attack.