Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia after reported pilot altercation

JERUSALEM - A flydubai commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an altercation between the pilots, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported, citing Israeli officials.

A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the incident was not a hijacking. Kan earlier reported that Israeli fighter jets had been scrambled towards the aircraft due to fear of a hijacking.

The FZ1073 plane squawked 7700, the code for a general emergency, then switched to 7500, which signals unlawful interference, before switching back to 7700. Its last signal was received via satellite at Tabuk Regional Airport, according to Flightradar24, a global flight tracking service.