The Emirati airline Flydubai has acknowledged this Wednesday that there was "an altercation in the cockpit" on a plane covering the route between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, which had to divert to Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing. The company has reiterated that the investigation is ongoing to clarify what happened and has requested that no hypotheses be launched about the origin of the incident.
"On September 30, there was an altercation in the cockpit of flight FZ1073, which was covering the route from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV)," a spokesperson for the company stated in remarks to Europa Press.
According to the airline's version, the situation "was successfully controlled by members of the crew" of Flydubai, as had been reported in recent hours. These employees "diverted the plane and landed it safely at the Saudi airport of Tabuk," the spokesperson specified.
The company also detailed that two additional aircraft were sent to Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, "to transport the passengers and crew" to Tel Aviv. "This incident does not affect other scheduled operations in the Flydubai network," the airline emphasized.
Temporary suspension of flights to Israel
Hours later, Flydubai announced the suspension of all its flights originating or destined for Israel "while the investigation continues," emphasizing that this is a "temporary" decision that will allow authorities to advance in the inquiries and "clarify" the circumstances of the event.
"We are fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and maintaining the highest safety standards across our network. We maintain close coordination with government authorities, regulatory bodies, and airport stakeholders, and we will review the suspension as we have more information," the company added. It also apologized to the affected passengers for the flight cancellations and assured that alternatives will be offered "whenever possible."
Flydubai avoids specifying causes and calls for no speculation
"In this initial phase, the causes and underlying reasons for this event are unknown, which are the subject of a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from making premature speculations while the authorities gather the facts," requested the spokesperson, who emphasized that the main concern of the airline is "to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of all affected passengers and crew members."
From Israel, the reactions have been immediate. The Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has described what happened as a "serious security incident" and has emphasized that the vast majority of the occupants of the aircraft are Israeli citizens.
The circumstances of the incident are still under examination. According to testimonies from several passengers cited by Israeli media, some of them intervened in response to an alleged attempt by one of the pilots to take control of the plane and crash it, which would have triggered a fight in the cockpit.
The alarms were activated early in the morning when an emergency signal was issued from the cockpit while the aircraft was flying over Jordanian airspace. The alert was accompanied by a loss of altitude and a sudden acceleration, which led Israel to send military planes to the area due to fears of a possible hijacking, after losing contact with the aircraft. Finally, the plane managed to land without further incidents.