DUBAI — A fight between the pilots of a passenger plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly triggered a hijacking code before the aircraft was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
The flydubai Flight FZ 107, carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, landed safely in Tabuk after an in-flight incident, with all passengers safe and accounted for, the airline said. The aircraft had been scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport.
“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” a flydubai spokesperson said.
Flydubai later confirmed that the emergency signal was triggered by a fight between the pilots.
The official statement comes after several unconfirmed media and social media reports which claimed that the flight signaled an emergency before turning around, citing flight-tracking data shared by Flightradar24.
Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft squawking 7700, the general code used by aircraft to signal an emergency. The data also fuelled speculation about what may have prompted the diversion.
The flight had earlier squawked 7500, the transponder code for unlawful interference, before switching to 7700 as it flew near Tabuk at an altitude of about 5,000 feet. The aircraft subsequently landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
The incident was later reported to have been caused by an altercation between the pilots on board, according to Israeli officials.
The Israeli military said IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir held an assessment of the incident with senior officers, including Israeli Air Force chief Maj Gen Omer Tischler, Operations Directorate chief Maj Gen Itzik Cohen and Intelligence Directorate chief Maj Gen Shlomi Binder.
Flydubai said it had opened an investigation into the incident and notified Israeli authorities. The airline’s CEO said another aircraft would be sent from Dubai to Saudi Arabia to pick up the passengers and continue to Israel.
Source: Saudi Gazette