What we know about the flydubai plane incident

Here’s what we know so far about the flydubai plane that signaled an emergency during its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv:

Flight FDB1073, with a reported 180 passengers — including dozens of Israelis — sent a “squawk code” of 7700, a general international emergency signal, as it made a U-turn over the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border.

The Boeing 737 MAX, as it flew over Saudi Arabia, briefly issued a code 7500, meaning a hijacking or unlawful interference.

Data from publicly available sources shows that two hours and fifteen minutes into the flight, the Boeing suddenly took a sharp nosedive, dropping from 34,000 to around 17,000 feet in under a minute as it sped up from 411 knots to nearly 600.

The plane recovered slightly for several seconds, reaching 21,650 feet, before dropping sharply again, this time to under 14,000 feet.

Over the next hour, the plane failed to maintain a steady altitude, though it remained at around 15,000 feet, indicating it was being controlled by hand rather than autopilot.

Israeli authorities were unable to make contact with the plane during the incident. Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept it amid fears of a hijacking. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior military officials held assessments on the incident.

However, not long after, contact was made with the plane and the flight landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli officials say that the emergency signals were issued after a fight apparently broke out in the cockpit between the pilots, although the exact details of the incident have yet to be confirmed by the airline.

Israeli passengers have recounted scenes of chaos and panic as the plane dived, of blood in the cockpit and of one of the pilots being stabbed, while some Israeli passengers reportedly helped crew to subdue an attacker.

Dubai-based flydubai has confirmed an “incident,” saying that all passengers on the flight landed “safely” at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. It says that “all passengers are safe and accounted for.”

“The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,” it says. “Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.”