Flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after distress signal

On September 30, 2026, Flydubai Flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying 180 passengers, was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a physical altercation between its pilots triggered a hijacking transponder code. The incident prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold emergency consultations, while the Israel Air Force scrambled fighter jets. Officials later clarified the diversion was not a hijacking, and Ben Gurion Airport operations resumed after the plane landed safely.

Flight diversion and landing

• ▪Flydubai Flight FZ 1073, diverted on September 30, 2026, was carrying approximately 180 passengers, many of whom were Israeli citizens
• ▪Flydubai Flight FZ 1073 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv, Israel, was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia on September 30, 2026
• ▪On September 30, 2026, Flydubai Flight FZ 1073 sent distress signals, was seen by flight trackers turning back over Saudi Arabia, and changed its transponder code to 7500, indicating hijacking or unlawful interference

Israeli security response

• ▪The Israel Air Force raised its alert level and scrambled fighter jets on September 30, 2026, in response to the potential emergency involving Flydubai Flight FZ 1073
• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held emergency consultations with security and defense officials on September 30, 2026, regarding the diverted Flydubai Flight FZ 1073
• ▪A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office clarified on September 30, 2026, that the diversion of Flydubai Flight FZ 1073 was not believed to be a hijacking or kidnapping incident

Debatable claims

• ▪Using the hijack transponder code for non-hijack cockpit emergencies is justified
• ▪Israel's immediate scrambling of fighter jets was a proportional response to the transponder alert
• ▪Pilots who engage in in-flight physical altercations should face automatic lifetime license revocation