Flydubai flight lands safely after cockpit altercation
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying 174 passengers diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed safely Wednesday after an altercation in the cockpit triggered emergency and possible hijacking signals, according to the airline and Saudi authorities.
Flydubai said an “altercation occurred in the flight deck” of flight FZ1073 and that crew members managed to secure the aircraft and divert it safely to Tabuk Airport.
“All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for,” the airline said, adding that the reasons and motives behind the incident remain unknown and will be examined in a formal investigation.
Emergency codes transmitted
The aircraft reportedly transmitted the international emergency code 7700 before later transmitting code 7500, which indicates unlawful interference with an aircraft and can signal a possible hijacking.
The incident occurred about 90 minutes after takeoff as the aircraft entered Jordanian airspace, according to Israeli media reports. The plane subsequently changed course, entered Saudi airspace and flew at a lower altitude before landing in Tabuk.
Israeli media initially reported that contact with the aircraft had been lost and that Israeli fighter jets were scrambled following the alert. Israeli security officials later said there was no confirmed information that the aircraft had been hijacked.
Flydubai said it was urging against premature speculation while authorities establish what happened.
Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk said its air traffic control center received a distress call from the aircraft at 8:44 a.m. and prepared for an emergency landing.
The airport said the aircraft landed safely but that both the captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Reports differed over the nationalities of the two pilots. Israeli Channel 12 reported that the crew included a Russian pilot and a Ukrainian co-pilot, while Ynet gave different nationalities.
Investigators examine cockpit incident
Israeli Channel 12 later reported that the incident appeared not to be security-related and that authorities were examining whether the distress signal was activated during an argument between the pilots.
However, Israeli aviation officials cited by Ynet said a security incident had not been completely ruled out. An initial assessment reportedly examined allegations that one pilot may have attempted to cause a crash and that the other pilot intervened.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held an urgent security consultation after the incident.
Authorities initially prepared military rescue aircraft to return Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia. Flydubai subsequently arranged a replacement aircraft, which carried the passengers and other travelers from Tabuk later Wednesday.
The Saudi airport said all passengers departed at 5:40 p.m. local time aboard the alternative aircraft.
The Israel Airports Authority denied reports that Israeli airspace had been closed during the incident.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the airline are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the cockpit altercation and the emergency signals.
Source:AA
