FlyDubai Plane Lands in Saudi Arabia After Pilot Brawl Triggers Hijack Alert

A FlyDubai flight en route to Tel Aviv landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning after a hijack alert was triggered, causing fighter jets to scramble and temporarily closing Israeli airspace. The incident began around 9:00 AM when the aircraft, Flight FZ1757, transmitted a hijack signal. Contact with the plane was lost for approximately 30 minutes around 9:30 AM, leading to significant family anxiety. Ofir Spiegel, whose mother was on the flight, described the tense moments, stating, "I have to admit, there were very tense minutes." He discovered his mother was on the plane after checking its flight number.

The aircraft, which was only 36 minutes from landing in Israel, touched down safely in Saudi Arabia around 10:00 AM. The Israeli airspace was reopened following the safe landing. An investigation by FlyDubai revealed that the unusual distress signal was not due to a hijacking, but rather a physical altercation between two pilots, one Ukrainian and one Russian. This fight led to the activation of the hijack alert and communication disruptions.

Families of the passengers are now awaiting further updates regarding the timeline for their return to Israel. The flight originated from Dubai and was scheduled to land in Tel Aviv.