A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia early on September 30 after what the airline described as an onboard security incident that left both pilots injured, in one of the most alarming aviation incidents of the year.
What happened
FlyDubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound from Dubai (DXB) to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport (TLV), departed in the early hours of Wednesday. About two hours into the flight it signalled an emergency, with its transponder squawk changing from 7700 — a general emergency code — to 7500, the code for unlawful interference, according to Flightradar24 data cited by the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
The aircraft's altitude data showed extreme fluctuations. USA Today and the Washington Examiner reported a descent of more than 17,000 feet in under two minutes, while the Wall Street Journal reported more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds — the outlets differ on the precise figures.
Pilot stabbed, passengers intervened
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on the plane," calling the passengers "heroes" who "prevented a major disaster" and saying the pilot was "attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems." Netanyahu stopped short of labelling the incident a terror attack.
Characterisations of the incident as terrorism come only from named Israeli officials: Defence Minister Israel Katz called it an "attempted jihadist terror attack" and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described it as a terrorist attack. Those claims have not been confirmed by investigators. FlyDubai stated: "At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation."
Safe landing in Tabuk
The jet made an emergency landing at Tabuk (Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport) in Saudi Arabia. A distress call was recorded around 8:44 a.m. local time, and the aircraft landed safely at 09:45, carrying 180 people, per Cluster2 statements reported by the Washington Examiner. The captain and first officer were hospitalised — the Wall Street Journal reported both were taken off the aircraft with stab wounds. The pilot accused of the stabbing has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, the Times of Israel reported via USA Today. FlyDubai confirmed the aircraft "landed safely in Tabuk and all passengers are safe and accounted for." A passenger, identified as Miriam, told i24 News she heard screams and saw large amounts of blood.
Complications ahead
More than 100 of those aboard were Israeli passengers, and Israeli officials are reportedly considering sending an aircraft to bring them home — a move complicated by the fact that Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relationship with Israel. Direct commercial flights between Israel and Dubai only began in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. The pilots' nationalities were not clear at the time of reporting.
Sources: Israel-bound flight forced to land in Saudi Arabia after 'violent incident' between pilots | Israel-bound jet plummets 17,000 feet before landing in Saudi Arabia after apparent pilot fight | Pilot Stabs Pilot on Israel-Bound Flight
What happened
FlyDubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound from Dubai (DXB) to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport (TLV), departed in the early hours of Wednesday. About two hours into the flight it signalled an emergency, with its transponder squawk changing from 7700 — a general emergency code — to 7500, the code for unlawful interference, according to Flightradar24 data cited by the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
The aircraft's altitude data showed extreme fluctuations. USA Today and the Washington Examiner reported a descent of more than 17,000 feet in under two minutes, while the Wall Street Journal reported more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds — the outlets differ on the precise figures.
Pilot stabbed, passengers intervened
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on the plane," calling the passengers "heroes" who "prevented a major disaster" and saying the pilot was "attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems." Netanyahu stopped short of labelling the incident a terror attack.
Characterisations of the incident as terrorism come only from named Israeli officials: Defence Minister Israel Katz called it an "attempted jihadist terror attack" and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described it as a terrorist attack. Those claims have not been confirmed by investigators. FlyDubai stated: "At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation."
Safe landing in Tabuk
The jet made an emergency landing at Tabuk (Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport) in Saudi Arabia. A distress call was recorded around 8:44 a.m. local time, and the aircraft landed safely at 09:45, carrying 180 people, per Cluster2 statements reported by the Washington Examiner. The captain and first officer were hospitalised — the Wall Street Journal reported both were taken off the aircraft with stab wounds. The pilot accused of the stabbing has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, the Times of Israel reported via USA Today. FlyDubai confirmed the aircraft "landed safely in Tabuk and all passengers are safe and accounted for." A passenger, identified as Miriam, told i24 News she heard screams and saw large amounts of blood.
Complications ahead
More than 100 of those aboard were Israeli passengers, and Israeli officials are reportedly considering sending an aircraft to bring them home — a move complicated by the fact that Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relationship with Israel. Direct commercial flights between Israel and Dubai only began in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. The pilots' nationalities were not clear at the time of reporting.
Sources: Israel-bound flight forced to land in Saudi Arabia after 'violent incident' between pilots | Israel-bound jet plummets 17,000 feet before landing in Saudi Arabia after apparent pilot fight | Pilot Stabs Pilot on Israel-Bound Flight
