Hours after a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, a glitch on flight-tracking websites led to reports claiming that a second flydubai flight was diverted back to Dubai.
The second flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was identified as FZ1081. The aircraft is, in fact, continuing on its normal route to Tel Aviv without any issues.
The first incident had briefly raised concerns about a possible hijacking of the flydubai flight, FZ1073, a Boeing 737 Max 8, following which Israel scrambled warplanes.
Two-and-a-half hours into the journey, FZ1073 descended to 17,000 feet from 33,000 feet within a minute and made an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border.
Later, it turned out that the mid-air drama stemmed from a feud between the flight's two pilots. The pilot was reportedly stabbed several times by the jet’s co-pilot in the cockpit. Israeli security officials said everyone on board the flight was safe.
Saudi's Tabuk airport revealed that it received a distress call from FZ1073 flight, requesting emergency landing. The airport authorities said they are coordinating with flydubai to secure a replacement aircraft.
