Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia amid reports of pilot fight

A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia on September 30, 2026, after transmitting emergency transponder codes, including one used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft.

Flight FZ1073 landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport (TUU) in Tabuk, flydubai confirmed to AeroTime.

“Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route,” a flydubai spokesperson said.

“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”

The airline added that its teams were working with the relevant authorities and that further updates would be issued as more confirmed details became available.

Aaccording to Flightradar24 flight data, the aircraft was identified as A6-FKF, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating the scheduled service from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). 

During the incident, the aircraft initially transmitted squawk code 7700, the standard code for a general emergency. It then briefly switched to 7500, which is reserved for unlawful interference with an aircraft, before returning to 7700 as it diverted toward Tabuk.

Timeline of flight #FZ1073 — all times UTC:03:05 — Take off from Dubai International Airport05:31 — Squawk changed to 770005:38 — Squawk changed to 750006:11 — Aircraft left Flightradar24 ground-based coverage06:28 — Squawk 7700 received via satellite06:58 — Last signal… pic.twitter.com/ChlUs4kRDU— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 30, 2026

Flightradar24 ADS-B and aircraft movement timeline related to today’s #FZ1073, which diverted to Tabuk after an onboard security incident. https://t.co/RI2L3pbJCC pic.twitter.com/qvNtoJJ5HM— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 30, 2026

The Times of Israel reported that Israeli fighter aircraft were scrambled while authorities assessed the situation. 

Israeli media subsequently reported that the emergency followed a fight between the flight’s pilots. Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that the aircraft had been diverted following a “fight between the pilots.” 

However, the circumstances surrounding the reported altercation have not been independently confirmed. As of the time of writing, flydubai and Saudi aviation authorities had not publicly explained what prompted the emergency signals or the diversion. 

The aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, and subsequent Israeli reports said the possibility of a hijacking had been ruled out. The post Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia amid reports of pilot fight appeared first on AeroTime.

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