Flydubai Flight Scare: What Is Squawk 7500, The 'Hijack' Code That Triggered a Security Alert?

A flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Israel sparked a security alert on Wednesday after transmitting emergency transponder codes while flying over the region. According to Flightradar24 data, the Boeing 737 initially transmitted squawk 7700, which signals a general emergency, before transmitting 7500.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled towards the aircraft amid fears of a possible hijacking, according to Hebrew media reports. The alert was later linked to an altercation between the two pilots. A regional official briefed on the incident said a fight had broken out in the cockpit, according to news agency AP.

The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. All 180 people on board, including cabin crew and children, were reported safe.

What is a squawk code?

“Squawk” is an aviation term for the transponder code selected by a flight crew. It is a four-digit number entered into an aircraft’s transponder, using digits from zero to seven and allowing 4,096 possible combinations.

Air traffic control (ATC) assigns these codes to identify and track aircraft, according to Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

An aircraft’s transponder sends a signal back to radar, allowing controllers to identify and monitor it. In effect, the squawk code functions as an identification number for the aircraft on ATC systems.

Primary radar can detect an aircraft but may not tell controllers which aircraft they are observing. A transponder simplifies identification. ATC can assign a specific code to a flight, which pilots enter into the aircraft’s transponder. The code then appears to controllers alongside the aircraft’s surveillance information, helping them track multiple flights in busy airspace.

Eurocontrol manages the allocation of these codes because air traffic requires large numbers of transponder codes across different regions.

What does squawk 7500 mean?

Squawk 7500 signals “unlawful interference”, a term commonly associated with hijacking, according to Flightradar24. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) uses the code to alert air traffic control that an aircraft may be facing unlawful interference.

The signal gives the crew a discreet way to alert authorities without explicitly announcing the situation over the radio.

Eurocontrol lists three main emergency squawk codes:

7500: unlawful interference

7600: radio communications failure

7700: emergency

What happens when an aircraft transmits 7500?

A 7500 signal immediately alerts ATC and other aviation authorities, allowing them to identify the aircraft and coordinate a response.

Authorities may notify aviation and security agencies, closely monitor the aircraft, provide priority handling, coordinate with the destination or diversion airport and prepare emergency personnel. Military aircraft may also be deployed to intercept or escort the aircraft if necessary.

This is why transmitting squawk 7500 can result in fighter jets being scrambled.

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Squawk codes and Mayday calls

While squawk codes transmit emergency signals through an aircraft’s transponder, pilots can also make a Mayday call to alert air traffic control to a serious emergency.

“Mayday” is an internationally recognised distress call used when an aircraft or its occupants face an immediate threat. Pilots normally repeat it three times, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”, to alert ATC and seek urgent assistance.

In the June 12, 2025, Air India crash in Ahmedabad, one of the pilots issued a Mayday call moments after take-off, but the aircraft did not respond to subsequent ATC calls. The crash killed 260 people, including 241 aboard the aircraft and 19 on the ground, according to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s preliminary report.