‘Violent incident’ between pilots triggers emergency diversion of Israel-bound flight, sources say

A “violent incident” between two pilots caused the hijacking of a FlyDubai plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv to Saudi Arabia, sources told CNN.

The plane descended from 17,400 feet — from 34,000 to about 16,600 feet — over northwest Saudi Arabia in just over two minutes around 1:20 a.m. ET, according to flight tracking data reviewed by CNN. The plane then transmitted an emergency signal at 1:32 a.m. ET.

An Israeli official said it was not a hijacking, adding that they believed it was an internal incident among the personnel on board.

The incident prompted Israel’s prime minister and defense minister to hold a security consultation. The Israeli fighter jets took off after sending the emergency signal, an Israeli army spokesperson told CNN.

The flight is expected to land in Saudi Arabia soon.

CNN has requested comment from FlyDubai.

This is a developing story and will be updated.