 |
| Flydubai flight FZ1073 landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a violent fight in the cockpit. (flydubai-flight-stabbing-emergency-landing.jpg) |
A flydubai jet carrying more than 170 people to Israel plunged thousands of feet in seconds on Wednesday after a violent fight erupted in the cockpit, and Israeli officials say passengers and crew helped stop what they believe was an attempt to crash the plane. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and everyone on board survived.
Here is what is confirmed, what Israeli officials are alleging, and the questions still unanswered.
What Happened on Flydubai Flight FZ1073
Flight FZ1073 left Dubai at about 7:05 a.m. on September 30, 2026, bound for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, and was due to land around 9:30 a.m. About an hour and a half into the flight, as the aircraft entered Jordanian airspace, it transmitted the international emergency code 7700. It then sent code 7500, the signal for unlawful interference, which is used to indicate a hijacking.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft dropped 14,125 feet in just 29 seconds. Passengers described screaming and violent shaking as the plane dipped steeply. Some travelers told Israel's Channel 12 they heard shouting from people near the front of the cabin, who had apparently heard the struggle inside the cockpit.
The jet then turned away from Israel and landed at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for. Reports put the number aboard at around 174, including 27 children, with more than 100 of them Israelis.
Netanyahu: One Pilot Stabbed the Other
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the incident in a video statement. He said that as the flight approached Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other and appeared to have tried to crash the plane with everyone on board. He praised the passengers and crew members who intervened, and said one of the pilots had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.
Israeli sources told CNN they suspect the co-pilot tried to hijack the plane after stabbing the captain. Some Israeli officials went further, describing it to CBS News as an attempted terror attack. That characterization has not been confirmed by flydubai, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, and no official has offered a motive.
Passengers Describe the Fight to Take Control
 |
| Passengers and crew helped subdue the attacker after the mid-air stabbing, officials say. (flydubai-passenger-cockpit-attack.jpg) |
Passenger accounts paint a dramatic picture. One passenger, speaking by phone to reporters through her mother waiting at Ben Gurion Airport, said the co-pilot tried to murder the captain and carry out what she described as a suicide attack on the plane. She said the aircraft was on the way to crashing, and that it was the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot that saved everyone.
Another Israeli passenger told the Jerusalem Post that one pilot stabbed the other and tried to force him out of the cockpit as the aircraft began to plunge. Additional flight crew, aided by Israelis on board, then managed to subdue the attacker, according to an Israeli official.
Video shared from the flight shows a male passenger in a bloodied shirt, and two people lying on the floor, visibly bloodied, as others crowd around them. Passengers also said medical help came from among them. A doctor gave first aid, and a passenger told the Jerusalem Post that an Israeli dentist on board treated the stabbed pilot and saved his life.
What Flydubai and Saudi Authorities Have Confirmed
Flydubai's official statement has been far more restrained than the accounts coming out of Israel. The airline confirmed only that an altercation occurred on the flight deck and that the aircraft was successfully secured by flydubai crew traveling on the flight, who diverted and landed it safely at Tabuk. It did not confirm Israeli media reports that the co-pilot tried to seize control.
Saudi Arabia's Tabuk airport said both pilots were injured and taken to hospital. The captain reportedly suffered serious stab wounds. The airline said it was investigating and had informed the Israeli authorities, and it sent another aircraft to Tabuk to collect the passengers.
Who Is the Co-Pilot? What Israeli Officials Say
Israeli officials told CNN the alleged attacker was the co-pilot and an Omani national. Israel Hayom reported that he had worked for flydubai for only about nine months. Israel's Air Defense Forces reportedly described the captain as a citizen of the UAE, though some other reports have said the captain is Saudi.
Treat these details with caution. The co-pilot's nationality comes from Israeli officials, one of them speaking anonymously, and has not been confirmed by flydubai, Saudi authorities or the UAE. His name has not been released. Also not established, according to aviation outlets tracking the story, are the weapon used, how it reached the cockpit, and the motive.
Israeli Fighter Jets and a Closed Airspace
As the emergency unfolded, Israel treated it as a possible hijacking. Authorities feared the plane, which carried more than 100 Israeli passengers, could be used as a weapon. Israeli warplanes were scrambled and Israeli airspace was temporarily closed before being reopened once the plane landed in Saudi Arabia.
An Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post that a major disaster had been avoided.
A Rescue Flight and a Diplomatic Puzzle
Getting the passengers home turned out to be complicated. Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and Israel had explored sending either a military or civilian plane to bring its citizens back. Flydubai instead sent a replacement aircraft to Tabuk.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to the Jerusalem Post, most passengers refused to board it, citing concerns that neither the aircraft nor the pilot was Israeli. The report said Mossad and Shin Bet later approved the crew of the rescue flight. Israel Hayom later reported that a rescue plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport.
The Political Fallout: Regev Wants Flydubai Grounded
Israel's Transportation Minister Miri Regev called for a halt to all flydubai flights to and from Israel. She also reportedly asked the Civil Aviation Authority to investigate whether the UAE breached its aviation agreement with Israel. Israeli officials say that agreement limits flight operations to crews holding passports from countries with formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel, which is why the reported nationality of the co-pilot has become a major focus. Israeli authorities are examining how an Omani citizen was hired, screened and cleared to operate an Israel-bound flight. They are also reportedly checking whether he held another passport.
There is a counterpoint worth noting. An Omani citizen can work for flydubai without Oman having relations with every country the airline serves, and the co-pilot did not work for an Israeli company. Whether any rule was actually broken is exactly what investigators are trying to determine.
Not the First Israel-UAE Flight to Land in Saudi Arabia
This is not the first time a flight between the UAE and Israel has ended up in Saudi Arabia. In September 2025, a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh because of a medical emergency. That incident ended quietly. This one, with its stabbing, hijack code and fighter jet response, has become a major regional security story.
The Questions Still Unanswered
Several important questions remain open as investigators from multiple countries look into the incident:
What was the motive? No official has offered one, and Israeli descriptions of terrorism remain unconfirmed.
Who exactly attacked whom? Netanyahu spoke of one pilot stabbing the other, and Israeli officials identify the co-pilot as the attacker. Flydubai has not confirmed either claim.
How did a weapon reach the cockpit? Nothing has been said about what was used or how it got there.
How was the co-pilot cleared? Israel is examining his hiring and screening.
Will flydubai's Israel flights continue? Regev wants them halted, but there has been no decision.
The Bottom Line
A flydubai flight to Israel dropped more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, transmitted a hijack code, and landed in Saudi Arabia with two injured pilots, an arrested suspect and 174 shaken passengers. Netanyahu says a pilot tried to crash the plane, and passengers who say they helped take control credit the quick action of ordinary people for saving everyone on board.
Until Saudi, UAE and flydubai investigators release their findings, the full story remains unclear. What is not in doubt is how close this flight came to ending very differently.
Sources: CNN, NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Israel Hayom, Calcalist, Flightradar24, AeroTime, Reuters via Inkl.