Authorities are investigating whether a pilot on a Flydubai flight tried to crash the Israel-bound on Wednesday, according to Israeli media reports.
The plane lost thousands of meters of altitude in about a minute before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, with Flydubai confirming that all passengers were safe.
What happened on the Flydubai flight?
Flydubai said flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced an “incident” while en route and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport and all passengers are safe and accounted for,” a Flydubai spokesperson said.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that authorities were investigating whether one of the pilots had deliberately tried to crash the aircraft, with the other pilot intervening to stop him.
Israeli media said one of the pilots suffered a stab wound. Initial reports had described the incident only as a fight between the two pilots.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
