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FlyDubai flight lands in Tel Aviv after distress alert, Saudi diversion

With 100 Israeli nationals among the 174 passengers, the country's security agencies initially feared the plane had been hijacked, according to a report.

Rina Bassist , Jack Dutton

Sep 30, 2026

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A FlyDubai flight carrying 174 passengers landed safely in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning after an altercation in the cockpit prompted a distress call while the aircraft was en route from Dubai, triggering an emergency response in Saudi Arabia and sending Israeli fighter jets scrambling.

The flight included 27 children, according to Ynet.

With 100 Israeli nationals among those on board, Israeli security agencies initially feared that the plane had been hijacked, Israeli outlet Kan reported. Passengers on board the flight said in videos posted on social media that they had to apprehend one of the pilots who was trying to crash the plane.

i24 News reported that one of the pilots, an Omani national, attempted to crash the plane. After the Omani pilot was apprehended, two additional pilots on board managed to land the plane safely, according to the report.

According to flight-tracking site Flightradar24, the Boeing 737 Max 8 transmitted the emergency code 7700, indicating a general emergency, while it was already in Israeli airspace. Flight data showed that the aircraft descended from 34,000 feet to around 16,000 feet, significantly below its normal cruising altitude for the........

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