A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv declared an emergency and turned back over northern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to flight-tracking data.
The aircraft was seen squawking 7700, the standard transponder code for a general emergency. Some flight trackers also indicated that it briefly switched to 7500, the code associated with a hijacking, although this has not been independently confirmed. The aircraft — a Boeing 737 MAX 8 – was on approach to Tabuk city in Saudi Arabia, according to Flightradar24 data.
Three Israeli security officials told Reuters that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding consultations over the flydubai flight from the UAE to Israel that was diverted from its path.
An Israeli source told Reuters that the plane is expected to land in Saudi Arabia shortly and that the situation will then become more clear. The Israeli prime minister’s spokesperson said the incident involving the flydubai flight was not a hijacking. (This is a developing story)
