A row between pilots, rather than a hijacking, set off the alarm raised with Israeli authorities on Wednesday morning over a Flydubai flight carrying 180 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Israeli media reported that the alert was triggered during an argument between the aircraft’s pilots.

According to Army Radio, the aircraft activated an emergency code linked to hijacking attempts and transmitted a distress signal.

The Times of Israel reports that the flight first transmitted the squawk code 7700, an international emergency signal, before switching shortly afterwards to 7500, which denotes a hijacking or unlawful interference.

Security sources cited by the same outlet said that Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled towards the aircraft.

The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia shortly after 10am. Its last recorded position was at an altitude of 5,000 feet near Tabuk airport, around an hour and a half from its scheduled arrival in Israel.

#FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv squawking 7700 en route to Tel Aviv.https://t.co/BI5p7bTPrw pic.twitter.com/7fUP8XwwP3

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 30, 2026

Diverted towards Saudi Arabia

The aircraft is reported to have changed course towards Saudi Arabia after first circling over Jordanian airspace. There are around 180 people on board, and there has so far been no contact with the crew.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and Transport Minister Miri Regev held an emergency meeting to manage the situation.