Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia after row between pilots: What we know | Today’s news
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Tel Aviv (Israel) was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a “violent” altercation reportedly took place between two pilots during the journey.
What we know so far
The plane reportedly dropped 17,400 feet in altitude, from 34,000 feet to around 16,600 feet, in just two minutes at around 1:20 am ET (10:50 am IST), CNN reported, citing flight tracking data. The report added that a distress signal was sent from the plane at 1:32 a.m. ET.
The incident prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to convene a security consultation. The IDF also jammed fighter jets after receiving an emergency alert, an IDF spokesman said.
An Israeli official confirmed that the incident was not a kidnapping, adding that officials were treating it as an internal personnel incident.
This is a developing story. Further details are awaited.
