A Flydubai plane carrying about 150 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as pilots engaged in a brawl.
An Israeli official said the pilots transmitted emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, told the outlet that her daughter had told her that she had heard screaming and that a man took a knife, put the pilot on the floor, and that there was blood everywhere.
Flightradar24, a flight tracking website, said the Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel signalled an emergency code amid the journey.
Flydubai, in a statement on Wednesday, confirmed its flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Israel experienced an incident en route and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
“All passengers are safe and accounted for,” Flydubai airline said, adding that the safety and well-being of passengers and crew remained its “highest priority”.
Israel, in a statement, said, “Following concerns over an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments. The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”