A commercial passenger plane operated by FlyDubai, travelling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Israel, was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. According to publicly available flight tracking information, the aircraft transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff.

The airline confirmed that the plane “experienced an incident while en route”, adding that it landed safely at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport and that all passengers are safe and accounted for. FlyDubai said more details would be shared later.

The incident that caused the plane to issue an “unlawful interference” alert was apparently due to an altercation between the pilots aboard the flight, Israeli media outlets reported, citing Israeli officials. This claim has not been independently verified.

The Israeli military said in a statement that Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir held an assessment of the incident with senior officers after the reported incident. The military did not provide further details.

There has been no official comment so far from Saudi authorities or international aviation organizations. The number of passengers on board and the subsequent status of the flight remain unclear. Reports indicate that an investigation into the causes of the incident is ongoing.

Source: www.aljazeera.com