A Flydubai aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia on 30 September 2026 after being diverted during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, following a loss of contact and the transmission of emergency signals that initially raised suspicions that it might have been hijacked. The Israeli prime minister’s spokesman later denied that the incident was a hijacking.
Israeli media reports said the incident prompted a widespread security and military alert as the aircraft was directed towards Saudi Arabia. The political commentator for Channel 12 and Israel Hayom said the aircraft, which had taken off from Dubai and was heading to Tel Aviv, changed course and was diverted into Saudi airspace.
Loss of contact and diversion of aircraft to Saudi Arabia
Maariv reported that the decision to divert the aircraft came after contact was lost, and that the security services and Israeli forces had begun investigating the circumstances of the incident. It added that, during the initial stage, authorities were examining suspicions that the aircraft had been hijacked, while the Israeli air force sent fighter jets towards it.
According to data from FlightRadar, a platform specialising in tracking air traffic, flight FZ109373 transmitted squawk code 7700, used to report a general emergency. The code then briefly changed to 7500, which in aviation indicates unlawful interference on board the aircraft, before the flight resumed transmitting the general emergency code 7700.
Navigation data during the incident showed that the aircraft was approaching and heading towards the Saudi city of Tabuk. At that stage, the platform said there was no official confirmation of the actual nature of the situation or what was happening on board. Initial assessments of the reason for the distress signal subsequently emerged.
Initial assessments point to a fight on board the aircraft
Channel 12 said initial information indicated that a fight had broken out on board the aircraft, adding that the pilots appeared to have exchanged blows in the cockpit and activated the code indicating a hijacking. In another account, Israel Hayom said the fight had broken out between members of the aircraft’s crew, with assessments suggesting that a violent confrontation on board had led to the distress signal being sent.
The newspaper added that there were indications the incident was not security-related, saying that contact with the aircraft was lost after the pilot activated the distress signal. Before the landing, Channel 24 had said the aircraft was expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia within minutes, while air traffic control was unable to contact the pilot.
Walla later reported that the Flydubai aircraft had landed in Saudi Arabia, while a Channel 14 correspondent said departures from Ben Gurion Airport had been suspended while the incident was being handled.
