Israel scrambled fighter jets on Wednesday morning to intercept a Tel Aviv-bound commercial airliner after crew and passengers raised the alarm, believing that it had been hijacked.
The plane, which was carrying around 100 Israeli passengers, transmitted a squawk 7700 emergency code, followed by a 7500 code, which signals unlawful interference with the operation of the aircraft, though it later reverted to the original code.
Early reports suggest that their may have been an altercation between the two pilots after the aircraft dropped altitude suddenly, with one person allegedly stabbed.
First images from @flydubai flight: one of the passengers with blood on his shirt https://t.co/zfJ4UsDeaO pic.twitter.com/XDLzuz0DbE
One passenger told Israel’s Channel 12: “We heard screams on the plane. Then they opened the cockpit and we saw blood, and someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife.
“There were also moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive.”
“Screams began on the plane… by passengers who realized what was happening,” said another.
“We understand that one of the pilots was stabbed and seriously wounded, and they lost control of the plane. It started to dive quickly. It was very scary.”
A senior Israeli official quoted by the same network claimed the investigation is focusing on allegations that one of the pilots attempted to crash the plane, adding: “The most severe disaster was prevented.”
Details of the nature of the incident remain unconfirmed, but the aircraft eventually landed safely at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport, also known as Tabuk, in Saudi Arabia.
Confirming that the IAF had prepared to intervene, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Office said: “The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”
A spokesperson for the airline, Flydubai, said: “Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben-Gurion Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route.
“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU), and all passengers are safe and accounted for.
“The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.”
Flydubai also confirmed it was sending a second plane to collect the stranded passengers and get them to their destination, though its arrival time was not confirmed.
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