flydubai suspends Israel flights amid investigation into cockpit altercation

DUBAI, Oct 1: flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel following a mid-air altercation on flight FZ 1073, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia, the airline said Wednesday.

The suspension was made in coordination with relevant authorities and will remain in place while the investigation into the incident continues. A flydubai spokesperson said the airline would review the decision as more information becomes available.

Flight FZ 1073 was operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport on Sept. 30 when an altercation occurred in the flight deck. The airline said on-duty crew members secured the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

All passengers and crew were reported safe and accounted for. flydubai deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to assist affected passengers and said the incident did not affect other scheduled operations across its network.

“The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and operations remain our highest priority,” the spokesperson said, adding that the temporary suspension would allow authorities to continue their investigation and establish the facts surrounding the incident.

flydubai said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and remains in close coordination with government authorities, regulators and airport stakeholders.

The airline apologised to passengers affected by the suspension and said it was working to provide support and alternative travel arrangements where possible.