Dubai/Tel Aviv,: A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a serious incident in the cockpit, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying one pilot stabbed the other and attempted to bring down the aircraft. The flight, carrying more than 170 passengers, landed safely at Tabuk Airport after a rapid descent and emergency diversion, with all passengers reported safe and accounted for. Saudi authorities arrested the alleged attacker and are questioning him as the circumstances of the incident are investigated.
The aircraft was operating as Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Flydubai confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and said other members of its crew who were travelling on the aircraft secured the plane and diverted it to Saudi Arabia. The airline described the event as an “incident” and confirmed that the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk.
Netanyahu gave a detailed account of the episode in a video statement addressed to Israeli citizens. He said almost all the passengers on the flight were Israeli and that the confrontation occurred while the aircraft was approaching Israel.
According to Netanyahu, one pilot stabbed the other and then attempted to crash the aircraft with the passengers on board. He said he had spoken to an Israeli passenger who described the aircraft going into a spin and beginning to plunge.
Netanyahu said the passenger managed to enter the cockpit with the help of a crew member and that they subdued the pilot who had allegedly carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to interfere with the aircraft’s systems. Another member of the flight crew who was travelling on the aircraft also entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the plane.
The Israeli prime minister praised the passengers and crew members involved, describing their actions as courageous and saying they prevented what could have been a major disaster. Reuters also reported that passengers and a crew member intervened after the aircraft went into a sudden descent.
Aircraft issued emergency signals
Flight-tracking information showed that the aircraft transmitted emergency signals during the incident. Reuters reported that the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, dropping nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before recovering and continuing towards Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft eventually landed at Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The emergency diversion meant the flight did not continue towards Tel Aviv as originally scheduled.
The circumstances surrounding the emergency signals are now part of the investigation. The sequence recorded by flight-tracking systems is consistent with the seriousness of the situation described by Israeli officials, although the investigation will have to establish exactly what happened inside the cockpit and how control of the aircraft was regained.
Saudi authorities question the suspect
The alleged attacker was arrested after the aircraft landed in Tabuk and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. Reuters identified him as an Omani national.
Saudi Arabia’s role is significant because the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in the kingdom while travelling between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The safe landing allowed the passengers to leave the aircraft while authorities secured the scene and began examining the circumstances of the cockpit confrontation.
Netanyahu said Israel remained in contact with the relevant authorities to ensure the passengers’ safety and arrange their return to Israel. He also said he had instructed Israeli security services to prepare for the possibility of additional threats and that security assessments were continuing.
What is known and what remains under investigation
There is now substantial agreement on the basic sequence of events: FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv; an altercation took place in the cockpit; the aircraft transmitted emergency signals and diverted to Tabuk; and the passengers and crew were brought safely to the ground. Flydubai has confirmed the cockpit incident and the safe landing.
The more detailed allegation that one pilot deliberately attempted to crash the aircraft comes from Netanyahu and Israeli officials. Reuters has reported the same account, including the claim that the co-pilot attacked the main pilot and tried to interfere with the aircraft’s systems.
The airline has not publicly adopted all of that language in its own description of the incident. That distinction matters while Saudi authorities investigate the events and question the detained crew member.
Israeli officials have described the episode as a serious security incident, while reports have differed on whether it should be formally treated as an attempted terror attack or as another form of unlawful interference. The investigation will need to establish the motive, the sequence of actions in the cockpit and whether the alleged attempt to take control of the aircraft was deliberate.
Passengers and crew brought the flight back under control
The most immediate outcome was that the aircraft did not continue its rapid descent and was brought safely to Tabuk.
Netanyahu said the Israeli passenger who entered the cockpit played a direct role in subduing the alleged attacker, while another crew member helped stabilise the aircraft. Reuters reported that passengers and crew members intervened during the emergency and that other pilots travelling as passengers were also involved in helping bring the aircraft safely down.
The incident has also drawn attention to the procedures that come into effect when an aircraft sends an unlawful-interference signal. Such alerts trigger responses from aviation and security authorities because the nature of the threat may not immediately be known.
For the passengers aboard FZ1073, the flight that began as a routine journey from Dubai to Tel Aviv ended with an emergency landing in another country and an ongoing investigation into what happened in the cockpit.
Netanyahu said Israel would continue working with the relevant authorities to secure the passengers’ return and that Israeli security agencies were carrying out further assessments following the incident. Saudi authorities are continuing to question the detained crew member and investigate the events surrounding the September 30 flight.
