An 8-year-old passenger on the Flydubai flight that experienced a rapid descent and emergency landing in Saudi Arabia said she was terrified, believing the plane would crash. Israeli officials were surprised that Saudi Arabia refused to approve an Israeli civilian rescue flight, according to i24NEWS. A source close to the Saudi royal family said normalization cannot be forced.
An 8-year-old passenger on Flydubai flight FZ1073 recounted: "I was scared to death because I thought we were going to crash," describing the terrifying rapid descent during the flight. As The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday, flight telemetry showed the aircraft dropped 4,305 meters in 29 seconds during the incident. The passenger's account adds a personal dimension to the harrowing emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The Zioneer reported at 20:15 that Israeli political and security officials were certain Saudi Arabia would approve an Israeli civilian rescue flight to repatriate passengers stranded after the landing, but Riyadh refused. According to i24NEWS, El Al and the Israeli Air Force submitted proposals — including an unmarked aircraft — but Saudi Arabia declined. A source close to the Saudi royal family told i24NEWS: "Israel needs to understand that normalization cannot be forced." All passengers were safely returned via a separate FlyDubai flight.
The event began with flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverting to Tabuk following reports of an attempted hijacking, as The Zioneer reported at 14:36. Witness accounts described a struggle between pilots, and the aircraft transmitted the hijacking alert code 7500 alongside the emergency code 7700, according to earlier reports.
The cause of the rapid descent remains under investigation. No official explanation has been provided by the airline or aviation authorities.
2 developments
- StrongThe Zioneer assesses Saudi-Israel cooperation during Flydubai incident was incomplete
- DevelopingSaudi, Jordanian fighter jets scrambled alongside IAF during Flydubai emergency, Israeli media reports
- StrongDoctor: 'Within seconds we knew it was a terror attack' – treating stabbed Flydubai pilot
- ConfirmedPassenger on endangered flight: 'I didn't pray for salvation, only for a quick end'
Source and signal
- Open-source intake