Pilots start fighting on international flight sparking emergency: 'We saw blood'

A flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv had to be diverted after the pilots reportedly started brawling.

An anonymous ​Israeli official is reported to have said the pilots on board the Flydubai flight transmitted ​emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation with each other.

The flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, carrying 180 passengers, was diverted to ​Saudi Arabia. It is not clear whether either ‌pilot intentionally transmitted the signal.

International news outlets reported that passengers were screaming during the incident, during which the plane is said to have plunged from around 34,000 feet to 14,400 feet. There have been unsubstantiated reports that a knife was spotted and one of the pilots was put to the floor.

One anonymous passenger told i24NEWS: “We heard screams and saw blood. There were moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive.”

An airline spokesperson ​told the news agency that the flight experienced an "incident" en route to Tel Aviv and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely.

It was said to have been in Jordanian airspace at the time the signals from the cockpit were sent.

All passengers were safe and accounted for, added a spokesman for the Emirati government-owned airline that is based in Dubai.

It was initially feared that a hijacking had occurred on board after ‌a second emergency signal was transmitted.

The Boeing 737 plane is said to have transmitted a second general emergency signal before landing ​at Tabuk airport in north-west Saudi Arabia.

Israeli authorities said that fighter jets had been scrambled upon receipt of the second emergency signal.

It is not clear what caused the fight between the pilots.

Israeli ​prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed over the ⁠incident, his office confirmed.

In a statement, Mr Netanyahu’s office said: “Following concerns over an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments.

“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”

Israel, currently embroiled in a conflict in Gaza and with Iran and in its proxies, has no official diplomatic relations with Saudi ​Arabia.