A FlyDubai pilot attack aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight has triggered a major security investigation after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed his colleague and appeared to try to crash the aircraft.
FlyDubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday when a violent incident involving the pilots forced the Boeing 737 to divert to Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, with all passengers accounted for. Both pilots were injured and taken to hospital, according to the airport operator.
FlyDubai flight forced to make emergency landing
The flight was carrying a large number of Israeli passengers when the incident unfolded while the aircraft was travelling over the region.
According to flight-tracking information, the plane transmitted emergency signals before diverting towards Saudi Arabia.
Flight-tracking company Flightradar24 reported that the aircraft transmitted the 7700 emergency code and subsequently the 7500 code associated with unlawful interference before transmitting another emergency signal.
The aircraft also appeared to lose altitude rapidly during the incident, with available flight data showing a dramatic descent before the emergency signals were transmitted.
The plane subsequently changed course and headed towards Tabuk, where it landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport.
Saudi airport authorities said the aircraft requested an emergency landing, which was declared at the airport before the plane touched down at 9.45am local time.
The captain and co-pilot were both found to have suffered injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment, while passengers received assistance at the airport.
Passengers reportedly intervened in cockpit
Accounts from passengers have provided a dramatic picture of what happened inside the aircraft.
Israeli passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the aircraft was “pretty much out of control” during the incident and alleged that the co-pilot attacked the pilot.
She said passengers and others managed to intervene and subdue the attacker while the aircraft was descending.
A passenger video circulated online also showed an injured man with blood on his clothing appealing for assistance as the plane prepared to land in Saudi Arabia.
The accounts could not initially be independently verified, but Israeli officials later said the incident involved a physical altercation between the pilots. Reuters reported that an Israeli official identified the alleged attacker as an Omani national.
Netanyahu says pilot appeared to try to crash plane
The incident took a more serious turn after Netanyahu issued a statement about what happened.
The Israeli prime minister said one pilot stabbed the other as the aircraft approached Israel and that it appeared the attacker was attempting to crash the plane with everyone on board.
Netanyahu said a passenger and a member of the crew managed to enter the cockpit and “neutralised” the attacking pilot.
He praised those who intervened, saying their actions prevented what he described as a major disaster.
Netanyahu later said the suspected attacker had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.
The Israeli prime minister described the episode as an “extremely severe security incident”, while other Israeli officials have described it as a possible attempted terrorist attack.
Saudi authorities investigate incident
The emergency landing placed Saudi Arabia at the centre of an unusual aviation incident involving a flight carrying mostly Israeli passengers.
Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal diplomatic relations, making the diversion particularly significant.
Despite the circumstances, Saudi airport authorities facilitated the emergency landing and provided assistance to passengers.
The airport operator said the passengers were being assisted while arrangements were being made with the airline for their onward journey.
FlyDubai also confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an incident while travelling to Tel Aviv but said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
The airline did not initially provide details about the nature of the incident, saying its teams were working with the relevant authorities.
Israel scrambled fighter jets amid hijack fears
The emergency signals triggered a significant security response in Israel.
The aircraft had transmitted the 7500 signal, which is used internationally to indicate unlawful interference and can be associated with a hijacking situation.
Israeli authorities initially faced uncertainty over what was happening aboard the aircraft as it changed course and headed towards Saudi Arabia.
Israeli fighter jets were reportedly scrambled as officials assessed the possibility of a hijacking involving a passenger aircraft carrying dozens of Israelis.
However, an Israeli prime minister’s office spokesman initially said the incident was not believed to be a conventional hijacking and described it as a different type of incident.
The later accounts from Netanyahu and other Israeli officials shifted the focus towards an alleged attack originating inside the cockpit.
What happened inside the cockpit?
The central question for investigators is what triggered the confrontation between the pilots and what the alleged attacker intended.
Initial reports described the incident as a fight between the captain and co-pilot.
Later accounts alleged that one pilot stabbed the other before attempting to take control of the aircraft.
The rapid loss of altitude and the transmission of emergency and unlawful-interference signals have added to concerns surrounding the incident.
However, authorities have not publicly established a final motive, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Reuters reported that Israeli officials were examining whether the incident could have been an attempted terror attack.
The distinction is important because the dramatic passenger accounts and official allegations describe what investigators believe may have happened, rather than a final determination of motive.
Second FlyDubai flight also caused concern
The incident also briefly raised concern over another FlyDubai flight travelling between Dubai and Tel Aviv.
Flight FZ1081 was initially shown by flight-tracking data as diverting back towards the UAE before later continuing to Israel and landing safely in Tel Aviv.
The Guardian reported that the second aircraft eventually reached its destination without a confirmed connection to the earlier incident.
This added to the uncertainty at a time when Israeli authorities were already dealing with the emergency involving FZ1073.
Passengers safe after terrifying ordeal
Despite the severity of the reported cockpit confrontation, the aircraft landed safely and the passengers survived the incident.
Netanyahu credited passengers and crew members who intervened during the confrontation, while the airline confirmed that passengers were safe and accounted for.
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The incident has nevertheless raised questions about cockpit security, pilot conduct and the circumstances that allowed a violent confrontation to develop aboard a commercial aircraft.
Investigators are expected to examine the actions of both pilots, cockpit communications, flight data, emergency signals and passenger testimony as they establish exactly what happened.
The suspected attacker remains in Saudi custody while authorities investigate the incident.
For now, the confirmed sequence is that FlyDubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai for Tel Aviv, encountered an incident involving its pilots, transmitted emergency signals, diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed safely at Tabuk.
The more serious allegation — that the co-pilot deliberately attempted to crash the aircraft — comes from Israeli officials and passenger accounts and remains part of the ongoing investigation.
The FlyDubai pilot attack has therefore transformed what should have been a routine Dubai-to-Tel Aviv journey into an extraordinary aviation security incident involving an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, injured pilots, a cockpit confrontation and an investigation into whether the aircraft was deliberately placed in danger.
