Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Saudi Arabia after in-flight incident

A Flydubai Boeing 737 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing on Wednesday at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Jordanian border, after an in-flight incident that left both pilots injured. The airline described what happened as "an incident during the journey" toward Israel.

Saudi state television reported that the airport received a distress call from the aircraft at 08:44 local time. The plane landed safely about an hour later, according to that account.

The captain and first officer were both hurt and taken to a hospital for medical care. The Saudi airport is working to arrange a replacement aircraft for the passengers, the report said.

Flight tracking data showed unusual manoeuvres before the landing. Roughly three hours after takeoff, the 737 made a steep descent followed by erratic changes in altitude. After briefly entering Jordanian airspace, the crew turned the aircraft 180 degrees before heading southwest toward Tabuk.

The flight's transponder sequence drew particular attention. It first transmitted the general emergency code 7700, then set the code 7500 — used in civil aviation to report unlawful interference or a possible hijacking — before the source's account of the sequence ends.

The source does not state what caused the incident or the pilots' injuries. No casualty figures for passengers were given, and the account does not say how many people were on board.