A Flydubai Boeing 737 operating a scheduled flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing on Wednesday at Tabuk Regional Airport, Saudi Arabia, following an in-flight incident that left both pilots injured and triggered hijack alert codes en route. The airline described the situation as “an incident en route” to Israel.
According to reporting by Saudi state television channel Al-Ekhbariya, the Tabuk airport terminal—located in the northwestern region of the country near the Jordanian border—received a distress call from the aircraft at 08:44 local time. The aircraft landed safely approximately one hour later.
As a direct consequence of the event:
- Crew Affected: Both the captain and the first officer sustained injuries during the incident and were transferred to a local hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.
- Repatriation Operation: Saudi airport authorities are actively coordinating ground handling and logistics for a replacement aircraft to assist the occupants.
Erratic Flight Track and Transponder Squawk Sequence
Flight tracking data from Flightradar indicated significant operational maneuvers prior to touchdown:
- Altitude Loss and Course Reversal: Nearly three hours after takeoff, the Boeing 737 executed a steep descent followed by a series of erratic altitude deviations.
- Airspace Incursion and Turn: After briefly entering Jordanian airspace, the crew completed a 180-degree turn before assuming a southwesterly heading toward Tabuk.
- Transponder (Squawk) Sequence: The aircraft initially squawked 7700 (General Emergency). Subsequently, the crew set the transponder to code 7500—standard international civil aviation nomenclature indicating unlawful interference or an in-flight hijacking—before switching back to code 7700.
To date, authorities have not officially disclosed the technical or operational factors prompting the diversion, nor the exact nature of the in-flight disturbance.
Diplomatic Response and Repatriation Efforts
The incident immediately triggered action across relevant government agencies:
- Governmental Assessment: Israeli Minister of Transport Miri Regev convened an emergency contingency assessment meeting with key stakeholders. The Israeli government confirmed that state security agencies are actively handling developments surrounding the case.
- Official Statements: Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, initially dismissed the hijacking hypothesis; however, two hours later, he indicated that this preliminary assessment had shifted, without providing further specifics.
- Return Coordination: A spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Transport stated that United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities are coordinating the repatriation of Israeli nationals currently in Saudi Arabia. The Prime Minister’s Office emphasized that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safe return of the passengers to Israel.
Flydubai stated that its operational teams remain in continuous liaison with pertinent aviation and civil authorities to resolve the status of the affected passengers and determine subsequent procedures following the unscheduled diversion.
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