TEL AVIV (Web Desk) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that a pilot aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft, triggering an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The Flydubai flight, identified as FZ1073, was carrying more than 150 passengers when a violent confrontation broke out in the cockpit while the aircraft was travelling toward Israel. The plane subsequently made a safe emergency landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, with all passengers accounted for. (Financial Times)
Netanyahu described the incident as a serious security event and said he had spoken to an Israeli passenger who was aboard the aircraft.
“One of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and he apparently tried to crash the plane,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, according to reports.
He said passengers and crew members intervened after the attack and helped prevent the situation from escalating. An additional crew member reportedly entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft. (
Aircraft rapidly lost altitude
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft experienced a dramatic change in altitude during the incident.
According to publicly available Flightradar24 data cited by AP and Reuters, the aircraft was flying at roughly 33,000 feet before suddenly descending to about 17,000 feet within a short period. The aircraft then made an erratic turn before continuing toward Tabuk.
The aircraft transmitted emergency signals during the incident. It initially sent a general emergency alert and later transmitted the 7500 “unlawful interference” code, which can indicate a hijacking or other unauthorised interference with the aircraft.
The exact circumstances surrounding who activated the emergency codes remain unclear.
Passengers intervene in cockpit struggle
Passengers later described scenes of panic after the aircraft suddenly descended.
Witness accounts reported shouting and a struggle inside the cockpit, with one passenger saying a pilot was attacked with a knife. Some passengers reportedly rushed toward the cockpit and helped restrain the attacker.
A passenger quoted by Reuters through family members said she heard a pilot screaming for help and saw a man with a knife attack another pilot. Other passengers also described blood on clothing following the confrontation.
The precise sequence of events inside the cockpit remains under investigation.
Both pilots were injured and were transferred to hospital after the aircraft landed in Tabuk, according to the airport operator. Flydubai confirmed that the flight had experienced an incident while en route and said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Israel scrambles fighter jets
The incident initially raised fears in Israel that the aircraft could have been hijacked.
Israeli military officials held consultations and fighter jets were reportedly scrambled as a precaution while authorities assessed the situation. The aircraft ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia, and no passenger deaths or injuries were reported. (AP News)
Israeli officials are investigating whether the incident was an attempted terrorist attack. Reuters reported that Israeli officials were increasingly treating the incident as a possible deliberate attack, although the investigation had not established a definitive motive. Other possibilities have also been considered.
Motive remains unclear
The motive behind the cockpit confrontation has not been officially established.
Reports about the pilots’ nationalities and the circumstances leading to the attack have varied, and authorities have not publicly provided a full account of what happened inside the cockpit.
Saudi authorities took control of the situation after the aircraft landed in Tabuk, while the injured pilots were hospitalised.
The incident occurred against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions and comes as Israel continues to maintain close aviation links with the United Arab Emirates under the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2020.
The emergency landing in Saudi Arabia was also notable because Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations. The kingdom, however, has permitted Israeli commercial flights to use its airspace and has previously coordinated emergency aviation arrangements.
For now, investigators are examining the cockpit confrontation, the aircraft’s sudden loss of altitude and the actions of the crew and passengers before the plane was diverted.
No passengers were reported killed, and the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk. The investigation will determine whether the pilot’s actions were deliberate and whether the incident constituted an attempted attack or another form of unlawful interference.
A Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a violent cockpit confrontation in which one pilot allegedly stabbed another. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker apparently tried to crash the plane, while authorities continue investigating the motive and circumstances.