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A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent in-flight incident in the cockpit triggered emergency codes associated with distress and possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets and convene urgent security consultations.
Flydubai confirmed that flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport experienced an “incident during the flight” and landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
“All passengers are safe and accounted for,” the airline said, adding that it was working closely with relevant authorities and would provide further updates as verified information became available.
Israeli media reported a growing assessment among Israeli security officials that the incident may have involved an attempted attack by the aircraft’s Omani co-pilot. The motive has not been officially established.
Ynet reported that following an assessment involving the Israeli military, Shin Bet and Mossad, Israeli officials increasingly suspected that the Omani co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft and that the Emirati pilot regained control with help from crew members and passengers.
An Israeli official cited by Ynet said an undercover security officer and other pilots traveling aboard the aircraft helped subdue the suspect and land the plane.
The Jerusalem Post separately reported, citing Israeli officials, that the growing assessment was that the co-pilot attempted to hijack the aircraft with the intention of crashing it.
Neither flydubai nor Saudi authorities had publicly confirmed that assessment in the information provided.
The Jerusalem Post said the motive remained unclear.
Passengers quoted by Israeli media described a violent struggle inside the cockpit.
An Israeli passenger told The Jerusalem Post that one pilot stabbed another and tried to force him out of the cockpit as the aircraft began to plunge.
The passenger said Israelis sitting near the front rushed toward the cockpit and fought the attacker. Two other pilots traveling as passengers were then brought forward, with one eventually taking control of the aircraft.
The passenger described the injured pilot as being in critical condition and said an Israeli dentist aboard the flight provided treatment.
Another passenger, Miriam, told i24NEWS that passengers heard screaming before the cockpit was opened.
“We saw a lot of blood, and someone stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife,” she said, according to Ynet. She said passengers feared the aircraft was going to crash and that a doctor and nurse provided first aid to the injured pilot.
She also said Israeli passengers and crew members subdued the attacker.
Yasmin Abukasis told Reuters that her daughter Miriam had said she heard shouting and that a man with a knife or pocketknife pinned a pilot to the floor, leaving “a lot of blood” at the scene.
Flight-tracking data cited by Ynet showed the Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered A6-FKF, rapidly descending from around 34,000 feet to about 14,000 feet.
At one point, Flightradar24 data showed a momentary descent rate of about 30,976 feet per minute, while sharp changes in ground speed were also recorded.
According to Ynet’s timeline, unusual altitude movements began at about 8:21 a.m. Israel time, with the aircraft losing more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
At about 8:31 a.m., the aircraft briefly transmitted squawk code 7700, the international transponder code for a general emergency.
Several minutes later, around 8:38 a.m., it transmitted code 7500, which is used to indicate unlawful interference or a possible hijacking.
The aircraft then turned back over Saudi Arabia and flew at a lower altitude before heading toward Tabuk.
Ynet reported that 174 passengers, including 27 children, were aboard the flight.
The flight had departed Dubai at 7:05 a.m. local time and had been scheduled to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport at around 9:30 a.m.
Uri, a passenger quoted by Walla, said travelers were traumatized by the sudden descent.
“From what I understand, the pilot tried to kill himself together with us,” he said, describing that account as his understanding of what had happened.
He said passengers helped another pilot regain control before the emergency landing.
Footage published from the flight showed a passenger with blood on his shirt after reportedly intervening in the cockpit confrontation, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The Israeli Air Force raised its alert level and scrambled two fighter jets after the 7500 signal was transmitted, according to Israeli media.
Military officials, including Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior commanders, held assessments as authorities tried to establish what was happening aboard the aircraft.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz convened an urgent security consultation at around 9:20 a.m., Ynet reported.
At about 9:35 a.m., Israeli authorities received information that the aircraft was heading for an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The plane landed safely at Tabuk airport at around 9:45 a.m.
Netanyahu and Katz later instructed the Israeli military to send aircraft to bring the passengers back to Israel, Ynet reported. El Al had also offered assistance.
Flydubai’s chief executive said another aircraft would be sent from Dubai to Saudi Arabia to collect the passengers and continue to Israel, according to the report.
Before the landing, Israeli security officials had said the aircraft’s cargo hold would be searched and the crew questioned before authorities could determine with certainty what had occurred in the air.
Flydubai said passenger and crew safety remained its “highest priority” and that further information would be released once additional details were verified.
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