Israel-bound flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after brawl between pilots

An Israel-bound FlyDubai passenger plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a fight broke out between its two pilots, according to Israeli media. The plane transmitted an emergency signal shortly after takeoff, briefly raising fears that it may have been hijacked. All passengers onboard are safe.

Israeli tourists leave a FlyDubai plane in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on November 8, 2020. © Malak Harb, AP file picture

A commercial plane traveling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, briefly raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble warplanes.

Israeli media, citing security officials, said the incident stemmed from a feud between the plane’s two pilots, and everyone on board was safe. The plane landed in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in the kingdom.

The FlyDubai plane transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff, according to publicly available flight tracking information.

A regional official briefed on the incident said a fight broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved pilots. It wasn’t immediately clear what had caused the fight, the official said.

Copyright for this text belongs to France 24.