The incident that led the plane to issue an “unlawful interference” and another general emergency signal was  apparently due to an altercation between the pilots aboard the flight, according to Israeli security sources.

By EJP staff

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, was diverted to Tabruk airport in  Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after transmitting emergency codes that raised concerns of a possible hijacking, Israeli media reported.

The aircraft, Flight FZ1073, issued the 7700 general-emergency transponder code and later the 7500 code for possible unlawful interference after entering Jordanian airspace, according to Ynet. Israel scrambled fighter jets after officials said they were unable to contact the pilots.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held an emergency security consultation as the aircraft turned back toward Saudi Arabia. Israeli and Saudi fighter jets reportedly escorted the plane, which later re-established contact with Saudi authorities and landed safely.

The military says that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held an assessment on 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.

The circumstances behind the emergency remained unclear. Unverified reports said an altercation between the pilots may have triggered the incident.

Some press reports said that one of the pilots allegedly attempted to crash the plane but  the second pilot and Israeli passengers intervened and prevented it. This could explain the Flightradar data showing that the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv descended 14,000 feet in just one minute (approximately 4,200 meters).

Israeli officials had earlier cautioned that there was no confirmed evidence of a hijacking.