A Flydubai flight carrying about 150 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after its pilots reportedly got into a physical fight.
An Israeli official said the pilots sent emergency signals after the altercation, Reuters reported.
Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said her daughter heard screaming. She also said her daughter told her that a man took a knife, pushed the pilot to the floor and there was blood everywhere.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said Flydubai flight FZ1073, heading from Dubai to Ben Gurion International Airport, sent an emergency code during the journey.
Flydubai confirmed that the flight experienced an incident while flying to Israel and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
“All passengers are safe and accounted for,” the airline said, adding that the safety and well-being of passengers and crew remained its “highest priority”.
Israel said, “Following concerns over an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments. The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”
