A flydubai aircraft traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, September 30, after an incident during the flight, in an episode that briefly raised fears of a possible hijacking.

flydubai said the aircraft bound for Tel Aviv experienced an incident during the flight before diverting and landing safely in Saudi Arabia, adding that all passengers and crew members were safe.

The airline added that it was working with the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances of the incident, but had not provided further details about its nature or what prompted the aircraft to change course.

 Emergency Signals Raise Hijacking Fears

According to flight tracking data cited by media outlets, the aircraft initially transmitted the emergency code 7700, an international code indicating a general emergency.

The code 7500 then appeared, a code used in aviation to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft, including a suspected hijacking.

The signal raised concerns in Israel, particularly because the aircraft was heading to Tel Aviv and was carrying Israeli passengers, prompting Israeli authorities to take security measures in case there was a threat aboard the plane.

Israeli media reported that Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled in response to the situation, while authorities conducted security assessments to determine the nature of the incident and whether it posed a danger to the aircraft or its passengers.

Meanwhile, the aircraft changed course while flying over the region and headed toward Saudi territory before landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk.

Israel Rules Out Hijacking

After the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia, Israeli concerns that it may have been hijacked subsided.

A spokesperson for the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incident “was not a hijacking,” while Netanyahu held security consultations with the Israeli defense minister and security officials to follow developments.

Israeli media reported that authorities initially treated the appearance of code 7500 as indicating possible unlawful interference with the aircraft, before their assessment changed as the circumstances became clearer and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

According to The Times of Israel, Israeli authorities later ruled out the hijacking scenario, while investigations continued into what caused the emergency signals to be transmitted and the flight to be diverted.

 Fight Inside the Cockpit

Reuters quoted an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying that the emergency signals were transmitted after a physical altercation between the aircraft’s pilots.

According to the account reported by the agency, the aircraft first transmitted the general emergency signal, followed by the signal indicating possible unlawful interference, before returning to the general emergency code and proceeding with its landing in Saudi Arabia.

The cause of the altercation and details of what occurred inside the cockpit remained unclear. It was also unclear who activated the emergency code during the incident, details that remained under investigation.

The Associated Press reported that all passengers were safe, while Saudi security forces deployed around the aircraft after it landed at Tabuk Airport.

Incident Ends in Saudi Arabia

The episode unfolded over several hours, as a routine commercial flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv turned into an emergency that prompted Israeli authorities to mobilize before it became clear that no hijacking had occurred.

Available information indicated that the aircraft was not diverted because it had been intercepted in the air or attacked, but rather as part of the emergency declared aboard the aircraft during the flight.

Saudi authorities had not announced official details about the incident or the findings of any preliminary investigation at the time of publication. flydubai also had not provided a detailed account of the altercation reported by Israeli sources.

According to the available information, the passengers remained safe following the landing, while security procedures and investigations continued to determine what happened aboard the aircraft and why code 7500 was transmitted, triggering initial fears that the flight may have been hijacked.

Until flydubai or the relevant authorities issue an official clarification, the account of an altercation involving the cockpit crew remains information attributed to sources and officials cited by international and Israeli media. flydubai confirmed that an incident occurred and that the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.