Flydubai Flight With 180 Passengers Diverts to Saudi Arabia After 7500 Hijack Code
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 30
Flydubai Flight With 180 Passengers Diverts to Saudi Arabia After 7500 Hijack Code
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 30
Summary
Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely in Tabuk after one pilot briefly transmitted the 7500 hijack code, triggering an Israeli security alert less than an hour from Israeli airspace.
Public flight data showed the Boeing 737 Max plunged about 18,000 feet over the Saudi desert within minutes as passengers and Israeli media described a violent struggle involving the pilots in the cockpit.
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened urgent talks before his office said the incident was under control and the jets turned back.
Flydubai said only that the flight experienced an incident en route and that all passengers were safe, while officials kept open the possibility of a serious security event as details were still emerging.
The scare briefly intensified regional tensions during the U.S.-led war against Iran and revived memories of past hijackings on Israel-linked flights, though such incidents have become rare.