Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 03:05 a.m. GMT, bound for Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), Tel Aviv, Israel. Two hours into the journey, an “incident” occurred and at 05:31 a.m. GMT, an emergency code was signalled, leading to a diversion and landing of the aircraft at Tabuk Airport (TUU) in Saudi Arabia at 06:58 a.m. GMT.
What we know so far
Data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft descended over 17,000 feet (more than 5000 metres) in less than two minutes just after 05:21 a.m. UTC (06:21 a.m. BST). The BBC reports that some of the 150-odd passengers (mostly Israeli) told local media they “feared for their lives” when the aircraft made this rapid descent.
The general emergency code was signalled, but seven minutes later was temporarily switched to the ‘hijacking’ emergency code. However, during subsequent urgent consultations, the Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed the incident was not believed to be a hijacking.
The flight briefly entered Jordanian airspace at 05:40 a.m. UTC, before it looped into Saudi Arabia and began its descent for landing. In response and as a precaution, fighter jets were dispatched by the Israeli Air Force.
Unverified reports
Israeli defence officials told local media that the emergency signal was thought to have been issued following an altercation between the pilot and co-pilot. The circumstances around this are not yet clear and emerging witness reports have yet to be verified by authorities.
A spokesperson for Flydubai confirmed there had been an “incident while en route” but it was working with local authorities and would issue updates when available.
The Guardian has since reported that all passengers are safe and being guarded by Saudi security forces. The company that owns Tabuk airport has since issued a statement that both the captain and first officer of the aircraft have sustained injuries and have been taken to hospital.
More updates on this breaking news story as it unfolds…
