Fight between pilots reportedly triggers hijacking code on Dubai-Tel Aviv flight

A fight between the pilots of a passenger plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly triggered a hijacking code before the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to Israeli daily Ynet.

Ynet said the aircraft had been scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport.

The flight was carrying 174 passengers and briefly transmitted a distress signal.

According to the report, the code indicating a possible hijacking was activated during the cockpit altercation.

The aircraft subsequently landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Around 90 minutes after takeoff, while entering Jordanian airspace, the aircraft transmitted code “7700,” the international code for a general emergency, the newspaper said.

It subsequently transmitted code “7500,” which is used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft, including a possible hijacking.

At around the same time, the plane changed course, returned to Saudi airspace and began flying at a low altitude over the kingdom, according to the report.

After initially heading south, the aircraft turned west while remaining inside Saudi airspace before landing in the kingdom.

Israeli Channel 12 later said the incident appeared not to be security-related and that authorities were checking whether the distress signal had been activated accidentally because of an argument between the pilot and co-pilot.

The broadcaster said the flight crew consisted of a Russian pilot and a Ukrainian co-pilot.

Flydubai later informed Israeli authorities that a replacement aircraft would be dispatched from Dubai to Saudi Arabia to bring back the Israeli passengers who had been on the flight, Ynet reported.

The Israel Airports Authority, meanwhile, denied reports that the country’s airspace had been closed during the incident.

Senior officials in Israel’s aviation industry said suspicion of a security incident on the Flydubai flight had not yet been ruled out, Ynet reported.

According to an initial assessment cited by the officials, one of the pilots allegedly "attempted to cause a crash," while the other pilot managed to thwart the attempt with the help of Israeli passengers.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the situation was “under control” and that “all means are now being deployed to safely return the Israeli passengers to Israel.”