Passenger Plane Bound for Israel Makes Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia Amid Hijacking Suspicions

[Financial News] A commotion unfolded in the Middle East amid the ongoing war involving Iran, as a passenger plane suddenly veered off course and military fighter jets scrambled. The plane made an emergency landing at a Saudi Arabian airport amid suspicions that it had been hijacked.
According to The Times of Israel (TOI), a flydubai passenger plane that departed from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for Tel Aviv, Israel, made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia on the 30th (local time).
flydubai is a low-cost carrier based in the UAE. After takeoff, the plane turned around while flying over Saudi Arabia and transmitted the internationally recognized emergency squawk code 7700. Shortly afterward, it changed the signal to Code 7500, which indicates an aircraft hijacking or unlawful interference. The plane was reportedly carrying about 180 passengers.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets scrambled after considering the possibility that the plane had been hijacked. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz were also reportedly involved in an emergency meeting.
TOI reported that the emergency landing ruled out the possibility of hijacking, but the reason the aircraft sent the emergency signal remained unknown.


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