Security
Flydubai flight to Ben Gurion broadcasts hijack signal and diverted to Saudi Arabia, fighter jets launched
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, broadcast emergency code 7700 and then code 7500 indicating aircraft hijacking, turned back and descended in Saudi Arabian airspace. Israeli air force fighter jets were scrambled, and Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister are holding an urgent security consultation. A security official clarified: 'There is no confirmed information on hijacking; the pilot activated a distress signal.' According to security sources, the aircraft is expected to land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and apparently the incident involved violence aboard the aircraft.
· Source: ynet. Illustration photo: Marcxosm, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Ben Gurion carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, broadcast code 7700 and then code 7500 indicating aircraft hijacking, turned back to Saudi Arabian airspace and Israeli air force fighter jets were scrambled. According to security sources, the aircraft is expected to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, and according to reports, the incident apparently involved violence aboard the aircraft.
The Flydubai aircraft departed Dubai in the United Arab Emirates at 7:05 and was scheduled to land at Ben Gurion airport around 9:30. According to reports, after approximately one and a half hours of flight and upon entering Jordanian airspace, the aircraft broadcast code 7700, the international emergency and distress code, and then code 7500, indicating aircraft hijacking.
The aircraft subsequently turned back, returned to Saudi airspace and began flying at a lower altitude throughout the kingdom, and after flying south turned west within Saudi Arabia. According to reports, the distress signal was broadcast briefly while the aircraft was manually descending and performing a turn back. Israeli air force fighter jets were scrambled.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister are convening an urgent security consultation following the incident. However, a security official clarified: 'There is no confirmed information on hijacking; the pilot activated the distress signal.'
Subsequently, security officials released reassuring statements and confirmed the aircraft is expected to land in Tabuk. The aircraft, which had disappeared from flight-tracking applications, reappeared on them. Earlier, a security official said: 'We cannot establish contact with the pilot and that is concerning.' All security establishment agencies, the IDF, Shin Bet, Mossad, police and military intelligence, are conducting situational assessments, and Police Commissioner Dani Levi said: 'We are prepared for every scenario.'
Source: ynet
