A Flydubai passenger flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an unplanned landing in the northwest of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after what the airline described as an “incident” on board. All passengers are alive and unharmed.
Flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai International Airport to Ben-Gurion International Airport, landed at Tabuk Airport, Flydubai said. The airline did not disclose the reason for the route deviation, stating that it is engaging with the authorities and will publish additional information later.
The Flightradar flight-tracking service reported that the aircraft initially transmitted emergency code 7700, then switched to code 7500, indicating unlawful interference, and subsequently returned to code 7700.
The circumstances related to changing the emergency codes are still unclear.
Tabuk is located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, near the border with Jordan.
A representative of the Israeli Ministry of Transport said that the Emirati authorities are working on arranging the return of Israeli passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia.