Flydubai flight makes emergency landing in Tabuk after mid-air incident

UAE-based airline Flydubai announced on Wednesday that its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely in the Saudi city of Tabuk following an in-flight incident, confirming that all passengers are safe.

In a statement carried by Asharq, the airline said flight FZ 1073, which departed Dubai for Tel Aviv on September 30, experienced an "incident during flight," without providing further details about its nature.

Flydubai added that it will issue further updates as soon as more confirmed information becomes available.

Earlier, three Israeli security officials said a commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had issued a distress signal shortly before altering its course over Saudi Arabia, with 174 Israeli nationals on board.

A spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister stated that the incident "was not a hijacking."

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the Flydubai aircraft transmitted the international emergency code 7700, according to flight tracking records. Shortly afterwards, it also sent code 7500, which indicates a hijacking or unlawful interference.