A chaotic physical altercation between the captain and first officer inside the cockpit of a flydubai passenger flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv forced an emergency diversion to Tabuk Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident disrupted flight safety and triggered a accidental “hijack” alert signal mid-flight.
The unprecedented incident occurred on Wednesday morning (September 30, 2026), as confirmed by Israeli government officials and international aviation sources.
According to data from the flight-tracking website Flightradar24:
Emergency Squawk: Roughly two hours after departing Dubai International Airport (DXB), the aircraft transmitted a standard emergency alert code.
Accidental Hijack Code: Within minutes, the cockpit transmitted squawk code 7500—the international aviation transponder signal designating an aircraft hijacking. The code was rescinded shortly after, returning the aircraft to general emergency status.
Israel Scrambles Jets: The hijack code triggered an immediate national security alarm in Israel. The Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets into action, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency briefing with top national security officials.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and defense officials subsequently confirmed that the incident was not a terrorist act or an attempted hijacking:
“A heated verbal argument erupted between the captain and first officer in mid-air, escalating into a physical brawl. During the intense commotion, the transponder hijacking code was inadvertently activated. All approximately 150 passengers on board—the vast majority of whom are Israeli citizens—remain completely safe.”
Adhering to strict aviation security protocols, the flight abandoned its planned destination of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
