Flydubai Flight Diverts to Saudi Arabia Following Emergency Alert and Security Concerns

A Flydubai flight carrying about 180 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv declared an emergency Wednesday and diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The alert briefly raised fears of a hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets and senior officials to hold security consultations. Israeli officials later said a hijacking was not believed to have occurred; reports attributed the incident to a confrontation between the pilots, though the cause remained under investigation. Passengers were reported safe, and Israel said it was working to bring them home.
The aircraft transmitted its emergency alert shortly after takeoff, according to publicly available flight-tracking information.
The flight was identified as Flydubai FZ1073; it turned back while flying over northern Saudi Arabia.
Tabuk, where the aircraft landed, is described as both a civilian and military base.
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