October 1, 2026
The Israeli media highlighted a detail that caught their attention in the official statement issued by the Tabuk Airport administration, against the backdrop of the emergency landing of the “Flydubai” flight coming from Dubai and heading to Israel, as the text was devoid of any reference to the name “Israel” or the Israeli identity of a number of passengers.
Despite the widespread media momentum that accompanied the incident and its details, the Israeli press paused for a long time before the wording of the Saudi statement, which merely reported that the passengers left on an alternative plane to their “final destination,” without naming it explicitly, even though the flight later headed to Ben Gurion Airport.
The management of Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport announced that all passengers of flight No. (FZ1073) completed their travel on an alternative plane that took off at 5:40 p.m., in coordination with the regulations and instructions issued by the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and the treaties of international agreements concerned with the safety of air navigation, passengers, and hospitality crews.
Despite the purely technical nature that dominated the statement, the Israeli media focused mainly on what it considered the “intentional absence” of the name Israel from the official Saudi text, merely indicating that the passengers continued their journey towards their “final destination.”
