Israel-bound flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after brawl between pilots

A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia after the pilots fought in the cockpit – not a hijacking, an Israeli official said on Wednesday.

Flydubai Flight FZ1073 sent a general emergency signal over Jordanian airspace, then a second indicating possible unlawful interference minutes later, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

The Boeing 737 sent the general emergency signal again before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website said.

The airport said it received a distress call from the aircraft at 8:44 a.m. local time requesting an emergency landing. Both the captain and co-pilot were wounded and taken to hospital. Tabuk said it was coordinating with flydubai to arrange a replacement aircraft for the stranded passengers.

The incident was not believed to be a hijacking, the Israeli prime minister's office said.

"The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel," Netanyahu's office said.

A passenger told Israeli media that people heard screams before the cockpit door opened, revealing one pilot had been stabbed, with blood visible. Passengers and crew subdued the other pilot.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the co-pilot is under investigation, with "growing indications" he tried to seize control and crash the aircraft. Investigators are looking into whether it was attempted suicide or a deliberate attempt to bring down the plane. Israeli security officials have not ruled out a security incident.

The aircraft reportedly made a sharp dive. Photos released by Israel show visible damage to the vertical stabilizer. A former aviation security chief of Israel's Shin Bet security agency said the rapid descent most likely caused the damage, which couldn't have come from an external impact.

Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev has asked for all flydubai flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv to be suspended, and called for an investigation into whether the UAE violated its aviation agreement with Israel, which requires pilots landing in the country to hold passports from countries with diplomatic ties to Israel. Unconfirmed reports say the co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain is an Omani national. Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

(With input from agencies)