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Live updates: Israel-bound flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after ‘violent incident’ between pilots
cnn.com • • world
Key Points:
- A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport after a violent incident between two pilots on board, leading to an emergency descent and signal.
- The incident marks a rare case of Israeli passengers landing in Saudi Arabia, a country that only recently allowed Israeli flights to use its airspace as part of a US-led push for normalization.
- Previous cockpit altercations have occurred in airlines worldwide, including Air France, Jet Airways, and Iraqi Airways, often resulting in suspensions or firings of involved pilots.
- Saudi Arabia maintains it will not normalize diplomatic relations with Israel without progress toward an independent Palestinian state, despite recent aviation cooperation.
- Israel is considering sending a military or civilian plane to Saudi Arabia to repatriate passengers stranded after the Flydubai flight diversion.
