Emirates flight EK31 Frankfurt diversion: Dubai-London A380 flight takes emergency turn, hours after flydubai stabbing. Here's what happened

An Emirates A380 flying from Dubai to London Heathrow was diverted to Frankfurt on Thursday after a passenger suffered a medical emergency on board, the airline confirmed. The flight EK31 landed safely at Frankfurt Airport, where the passenger disembarked to receive further medical attention. The flight EK31 landed safely at Frankfurt Airport, where the passenger disembarked to receive further medical attention.

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According to Emirates, the cabin crew provided assistance to the passenger during the flight. Medical support was also arranged in Frankfurt ahead of the aircraft’s arrival. The aircraft landed safely at Frankfurt Airport, where the passenger disembarked to receive further medical attention.

What did the Emirates say?

Emirates said the flight is expected to continue its journey from Frankfurt to London Heathrow at approximately 6 pm local time (Frankfurt).

"Emirates: Flight #EK31 from Dubai to London Heathrow diverted to Frankfurt due to a medical emergency involving a passenger onboard. Our cabin crew provided assistance during the flight, and medical support was arranged on arrival. The aircraft landed safely in Frankfurt, where the passenger disembarked to receive further medical attention. The flight is expected to continue its journey to London Heathrow at approximately 18:00 local Frankfurt time," a tweet from Emirates read.

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“The flight path of Emirates Flight number “EK 31,” heading from Dubai to London Heathrow Airport, was diverted to Frankfurt after one of the passengers experienced a medical emergency on board the aircraft. The flight crew provided the necessary assistance to the passenger during the journey, and coordination was made with the relevant authorities to provide medical support upon arrival. The aircraft landed safely in Frankfurt, where the passenger was transferred to receive further medical care. The flight is expected to resume its path to London Heathrow Airport around 6:00 PM local time in Frankfurt,” an Emirates Airlines spokesperson said.

Flight declares general emergency

Flight-tracking data cited by AIRLIVE showed that EK31, an Airbus A380-800, was flying at around 40,000 feet when the crew transmitted squawk code 7700. This is the international transponder code used to signal a general emergency. The aircraft then descended and diverted to Frankfurt instead of continuing to London Heathrow. It had departed Dubai International Airport shortly after 11.25 am UAE time.

Emirates said the aircraft was expected to continue its journey from Frankfurt to Heathrow at around 6 pm local time.

“We apologise to customers for the delay. The health and safety of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority,” the airline said. No further details about the passenger’s condition were immediately available. Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed the aircraft quickly changing course as it headed towards Frankfurt.

Incident comes amid Flydubai flight FZ1073 stabbing

The diversion of Emirates flight to Frankfurt comes a co-pilot on a flight to Israel stabbed a captain on Wednesday before passengers pushed their way into the cockpit and wrestled with the attacker. The flydubai plane fell rapidly, and a passenger said he grabbed the controls and pulled upward, like how he had seen on television. Other crew members soon took over, and the jetliner made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. It was not clear what motivated the attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested the copilot.

Netanyahu identified the wounded captain as Smit Machchhar of India. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was in stable condition.

Airline is owned by the Emirati government

Flydubai, the sister airline to Emirates, is a government-owned carrier run by the United Arab Emirates that operates a fleet of 98 Boeing 737 aircraft, according to its website. The airline flies to the Mideast, Africa, Europe and Asia, including the Indian subcontinent.

In November 2020, flydubai began offering commercial flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai, a rare route at a time when other airlines in the region stopped flying to Israel, a UAE ally.