A Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Tabuk Airport in northeastern Saudi Arabia following reports of a physical fight between the pilots, Israeli officials informed local media.
The plane, which departed from Dubai International Airport early on Wednesday morning, initially signalled an emergency code two hours into its journey. This was briefly changed to a hijacking code before reverting to a general emergency signal, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed that the incident was not believed to be a hijacking. Instead, the emergency signal was reportedly issued after an altercation between the pilot and co-pilot, local media cited Israeli defence officials as stating.
The flight was carrying approximately 150 people, most of whom are Israeli, and was scheduled to land at Ben-Gurion Airport. In response to the incident, the Israeli air force dispatched fighter jets, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations.