A commercial flight traveling from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv was forced to divert and make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the crew issued a distress call mid-flight.
The flydubai aircraft, identified as flight FZ 1073, landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, located near the Jordanian border. Saudi authorities confirmed they received the emergency transmission and stated that both the pilot and co-pilot were hospitalized upon landing due to onboard injuries.
In a statement, the airline acknowledged the “incident” occurred while en route but declined to provide further details regarding the nature of the emergency or the specific injuries sustained by the crew. Flydubai assured that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Many of the travelers stranded in Saudi Arabia are Israeli nationals. Consequently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding consultations and monitoring the situation, according to his office.
Authorities have not yet released information explaining what triggered the emergency or the condition of the flight crew beyond their hospitalization. This is a developing story.
Wait, an Israeli flight diverting to Saudi Arabia? This geopolitical shift is happening faster than anyone expected.
So the pilots got hurt but they managed to land safely? That is actually impressive medical skill in the cockpit.