Flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted after emergency alert sparks alarm

A commercial flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after issuing an onboard emergency alert.

A spokesperson for the airline, FlyDubai, told NBC News that Flight FZ 1073 had “experienced an incident while en route” from Dubai International airport to Ben Gurion International Airport.

The aircraft landed safely at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport, commonly known as Tabubuk Airport, the spokesperson said.

The FlyDubai flight initially triggered a 7700 “general emergency” signal, aviation tracking site FlightRadar24 reported. It then switched to a 7500 code, suggesting “unlawful interference,” before switching back to a 7700, the tracking site said.

It said that “extreme fluctuations” were observed in the altitude data transmitted from the flight, which appeared to drop at one point by 14,125 feet in just 29 seconds, according to FlightRadar24.

Israeli media, including The Times of Israel and Ynet cited unidentified security officials as saying that the alert had apparently been triggered over an altercation between the plane’s two pilots. NBC News was not immediately able to confirm those details.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee expressed relief in a post on X on Wednesday that the incident didn’t turn out to be “more serious.”

“This had everyone in the Middle East (esp Israel) on FULL ALERT this morning,” he said. “Having pilots inflight detouring to ‘fist city’ not your ordinary experience.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he held consultations on the matter and had monitored developments.

“The situation is under control, and all measures are currently being taken to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel safely,” his office said Wednesday.

The Israeli military said officials had held a “situational assessment” over the incident, but didn’t provide further information.