Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Saudi Arabia after onboard incident

A Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to land at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia after an onboard incident involving two pilots. Flight tracking data shows the aircraft descended rapidly from 34,000 to about 16,600 feet over Saudi airspace before transmitting an emergency signal and touching down shortly before 3 a.m. local time.

The airline said the flight, identified as FZ 1073, "experienced an incident while en route" and confirmed that all passengers were safe and accounted for. Israeli officials clarified that the event was not a hijacking but an internal personnel matter. Israel's prime minister's office stated that measures were being taken to return the Israeli passengers to Israel, and a security consultation was held between the prime minister and the defense minister. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled following the emergency signal, according to a military spokesperson.

The landing marked an unusual mass arrival of Israeli nationals in Saudi Arabia, a country that does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia has allowed Israel-bound flights through its airspace since 2022 as part of a U.S.-mediated normalization effort, while maintaining that full diplomatic ties will depend on progress toward an independent Palestinian state.