Flight to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia after incident in cockpit, Israeli security source says

A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia Wednesday morning after an apparent incident took place inside the cockpit, an Israeli security source told News.

An Israeli security source confirmed to News there was a violent altercation on the flight and that Israel is investigating the incident as a potential terror incident.

The flight landed in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, after being diverted.

Israeli Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a post to X that Netanyahu “held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments.”

“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” Netanyahu’s office added.

The flight, which was carrying mostly Israeli passengers, took off at 7:05 a.m. local time from Dubai, according to Flightradar24.

Tracking data showed the aircraft descended rapidly from 34,000 to 16,000 feet in three minutes.

About 10 minutes after the initial descent, the plane’s squawk code — used by aircraft to communicate with air traffic control — changed to “general emergency.” Seven minutes after that, the squawk code changed again, indicating a hijacking or “unlawful interference.” 

The aircraft then continued to fly lower at 15,000 feet on average until it landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, about an hour to an hour and a half after the rapid descent began and the emergency signals were sent.

FlyDubai confirmed that the flight “experienced an incident while en route,” and landed in Tabuk.

An Israeli security source confirmed to News that the Israel Defense Forces recommended that a military aircraft be sent to repatriate Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

News’ Victoria Beaule and David Brennan contributed to this report.