A FlyDubai passenger jet bound for Tel Aviv sparked a major security scare on Wednesday after transmitting a distress code indicating a possible hijacking. The call caused Israeli fighter jets to be scrambled and authorities to suspend flights at the country's main international airport.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8, operating as FlyDubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Israel, was carrying more than 150 passengers when it issued the emergency squawk code 7500 while flying over Saudi Arabia. The aircraft later turned around and diverted towards Tabuk in north-west Saudi Arabia as the incident unfolded, The Mirror reports.
Reports of cockpit altercation
Early reports suggested the alert may have been triggered by a violent altercation in the cockpit rather than a hijacking. Israeli media and security sources claimed two pilots became involved in a fight during the flight.
The aircraft successfully completed an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with no reported casualties among its passengers.
Emergency codes and altitude changes
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft switched between emergency codes during the incident, transmitting 7700, the international signal for a general emergency, before briefly changing to 7500 and then reverting to 7700.
Data also indicated the jet plunged more than 17,000ft in a little over two minutes and experienced unusually severe altitude fluctuations. This triggered an urgent response from Israeli authorities, with reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz were holding emergency consultations.
Internal incident ruled
However, later reports suggested a wider security threat had been ruled out and that the emergency stemmed from an internal incident involving crew members on board.
