A plane bound for Tel Aviv had to land in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following an “incident” in flight, according to the company FlyDubai, with Israeli media reporting an altercation between the pilots.
“Flight FZ 1073, connecting Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport on September 30, experienced an incident en route. The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport and all passengers are safe and sound,” a spokesperson for the Emirati low-cost carrier said in a statement.
Several Israeli media outlets reported a fight between the pilot and co-pilot of the plane, during which the aircraft’s distress signal was activated.
The incident occurred in a tense context, in the midst of war in the Middle East.
The Israeli military scrambled fighter jets thinking it might be a hijacking by air pirates, a hypothesis quickly dismissed, according to Israeli television channels 12 and KAN.
According to the government, the situation is now “under control, and all necessary measures are being taken to allow the safe return of Israeli passengers.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in contact with several of his ministers during the incident and “continues to monitor the situation,” the government said in a statement.
Neither the company nor the authorities of the countries involved have given any details at this stage about what really happened on board this flight.
Bloody T-shirt
Israeli media, citing anonymous sources, reported that passengers on the flight intervened to separate the pilots during their altercation.
They published a photo showing one of the pilots with his t-shirt covered in blood.
Israeli television channel 12 claimed that authorities were investigating a possible suicide attempt by one of the pilots who allegedly tried to crash the plane, which the other pilot prevented.
It was not immediately possible to verify these press reports. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was conducting “checks”.
According to data from the Flightradar website, the aircraft suddenly lost altitude during the flight, dropping from nearly 34,000 feet at 5:21 a.m. to less than 17,000 feet at 5:22 a.m. GMT.
This crisis situation comes not only amid a regional conflict, but also with elections approaching in Israel next month.
Les autorités israéliennes ont plusieurs fois fait état d’un risque accru pour le pays dans ce contexte, M. Netanyahu évoquant ainsi mardi des « indices » sur de possibles attaques avant le scrutin.
