Dubai to Israel flight broadcasts emergency alert, diverts to Saudi Arabia after reported feud between pilots

Updated on: September 30, 2026 / 6:50 AM EDT / CBS/AP

A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an apparent altercation in the cockpit, raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets.

Israeli media outlets, citing security officials, said the incident stemmed from a fight between the commercial plane's two pilots and that everyone on board was safe after it landed in Tabuk, where there is a civilian airport adjacent to a Saudi military base.

The Jerusalem Post reported that one pilot tried to hijack the plane but was subdued by other members of the flight crew and passengers, citing an unnamed Israeli official who told the newspaper that a "major disaster was narrowly avoided."

A female passenger told Israel Hayom that one pilot was stabbed during the brawl, and Israeli passengers intervened to stop the fighting.

"There are people here with shirts covered in blood," she said, describing the incident as "very stressful." Videos shared on social media corroborated her account, showing at two men laying down with blood smeared on and around them.

Israeli sources told the Post the would-be…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/