Tel Aviv: High drama unfolded close to the skies above Israel on Wednesday morning after a flight from Dubai transmitted emergency signals indicating a hijacking.
Israel scrambled fighter jets towards the flydubai flight, which subsequently diverted to the Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
The flight, with about 180 people on board was on its way to Tel Aviv when it first transmitted squawk code 7700, the international transponder code for a general emergency.
Thereafter, it sent code 7500, which indicates hijacking or unlawful interference, according to flight-tracking data cited by The Times of Israel. The aircraft subsequently turned around while flying over Saudi Arabia and was diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely.
The incident that prompted the emergency signals was apparently an altercation between the pilots aboard the aircraft, according to Israeli security sources. A hijacking was subsequently ruled out, the report said.
The aircraft also briefly disappeared from flight-tracking websites after transmitting the emergency signals, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the incident.
While hijacking may have been ruled out, Israel is not treating the incident lightly. The country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with security officials after the flight was diverted, three Israeli security officials told Reuters.
The situation would become clearer once the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia, an Israeli source had earlier said.
An assessment of the incident was also held by the Israel Defence Forces. IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir met senior officers including Israeli Air Force chief Maj Gen Omer Tischler, Operations Directorate chief Maj Gen Itzik Cohen and Intelligence Directorate chief Maj Gen Shlomi Binder, The Times of Israel reported.
