© 2026 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We're fiercely committed to bringing you reliable, fact-based news. While we missed our Fall Drive goal, it's not too late to help us finish strong. Take a minute to chip in today if you can!

A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverts to Saudi Arabia after making distress call

Media representatives gather along with passengers at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Wednesday after a flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv was forced to land in Saudi Arabia following an "incident," the airline said.
Jack Guez
/
AFP via Getty Images
Media representatives gather along with passengers at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Wednesday after a flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv was forced to land in Saudi Arabia following an "incident," the airline said.

TEL AVIV, Israel — A commercial flight traveling from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing after issuing an emergency alert onboard.

Both the pilot and co-pilot have been hospitalized although what exactly happened is unclear.

The flydubai plane made an emergency landing at Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, near the Jordanian border.

In a statement, flydubai acknowledged that flight FZ 1073 "experienced an incident" while en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, and said that all passengers are safe and accounted for. It did not offer more details.

Saudi authorities said they received a distress call from the flight and that the pilot and co-pilot were hospitalized upon landing, after sustaining injuries onboard. No further information was provided on the nature of the injuries or how they came about.

Many of the passengers now stranded in Saudi Arabia are Israeli.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding consultations over the incident and "monitoring developments," his office said.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Kat Lonsdorf is reporter for NPR, often covering national security and international stories. She is based in Washington, D.C.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.