A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv declared an emergency and turned back over northern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Updated on: Sep 30, 2026, 12:56:41 IST

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Shortly after a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv declared an emergency, a spokesperson from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that there was no hijack scare.

A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv declared an emergency and turned back over northern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Following this emergency, Hebrew media reported that Israeli Air Force fighter jets had been scrambled toward the plane over concerns of a hijacking.

However, a spokesperson for Netanyahu has now denied the hijacking scare. An official comment from the Israeli Air Force is regarding the scrambling of jets.

As per local reports, the flight was carrying a total of 174 passengers, including 27 children.

Fight between pilots triggered emergency alarm

After the scare due to the emergency landing, Hebrew media outlet Ynet stated that airline confirmed the hijacking signal was triggered due to an altercation between the two pilots.

The incident took place after the aircraft briefly transmitted a code indicating possible unlawful interference while flying towards Israel.

Taking this code into account, Israeli authorities scrambled fighter jets and convened an emergency meeting, as per the Times of Israel.

As per Ynet, Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz also convened an urgent security consultation, as the Israel Police Operations Division ordered the establishment of a joint command centre with other security agencies. Police Commissioner Danny Levy also held a situation assessment, telling reporters they were prepared for "every scenario."

However, the incident was later determined to have been a false alarm due to the physical altercation between the two pilots.

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