FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv sends emergency signal over Saudi Arabia, lands at Tabuk

A FlyDubai aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv in Israel suddenly ran into an emergency in mid-air. The Boeing 737 MAX was over northern Saudi Arabia when it sent a distress signal and turned back from its original route. The incident caused alarm in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz immediately called a high-level meeting.

According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft first dialled the '7700' code, the general emergency code. But according to some flight trackers, the aircraft also briefly used the '7500' code, the transponder code linked to hijacking. This raised deep suspicion that the aircraft might have been hijacked. Security forces had reportedly dispatched Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets towards the aircraft.

Before the diversion, the aircraft showed sharp and unusual changes in its flight. Its altitude suddenly dropped and its speed fluctuated widely. After changing course, it was flying at just 15,000 feet, well below normal cruising height. It then suddenly vanished from flight-tracking sites near Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

A rumour of a hijacking spread at first, but the hijack code was later cancelled. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office spokesperson and Israeli security officials clarified that it was not a hijacking. They are examining whether the matter involves a technical fault or a security issue.

Meanwhile, a senior Middle East journalist posted on social media that the aircraft had landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Preliminary assessments by Israeli experts said: "The aircraft's emergency signal was activated because of an extremely sharp and violent fight between the two pilots in the cockpit, not because of a hijacking."

The aircraft is reported to have had about 160 to 180 passengers on board. What actually happened will become clear only after the landing at Tabuk airport. Given the sensitive situation in the region, Israel's civil aviation authority has imposed several restrictions and warnings in the Tel Aviv Flight Information Region.