Israel says pilot tried to hijack flydubai flight to Tel Aviv that diverted, landed in Saudi Arabia
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Flydubai Flight FZ1073 diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after transmitting emergency transponder codes 7700 and 7500 during its Dubai-to-Tel Aviv route following a violent cockpit altercation.
- Security officials and Flydubai confirmed the emergency stemmed from a cockpit struggle between pilots, explicitly ruling out a hijacking. Reports allege the co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife during the flight over Saudi airspace.
- Flightradar24 data shows the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plummeted from nearly 34,000 feet to less than 17,000 feet in minutes. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker after hearing screams from the cockpit.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu monitored developments while the Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets as a precaution. All passengers landed safely in Tabuk, where authorities opened an investigation.
- The emergency landing in Tabuk marks a rare arrival of Israelis in the kingdom, reflecting evolving ties since the UAE and Israel normalized relations 6 years ago, though the nations lack official diplomatic relations.
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680 Articles
Passengers Help Subdue Suspect After Flydubai Jet Bound For Israel Makes Emergency Landing In Saudi Arabia
TABUK, SAUDI ARABIA (VIN) — A Flydubai flight carrying more than 100 Israeli passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing Wednesday in northwestern Saudi Arabia after a midair cockpit confrontation that Israeli officials said they are investigating as a possible attempted hijacking. Flydubai Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737, left Dubai International Airport […]
The captain and co-pilot of a flight from Flydubai to Tel Aviv were injured and hospitalized after an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, caused by a violent altercation in the cockpit according to Israeli media. ...
On board a plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv, there is a violent incident in the cockpit. According to media reports, Israel is investigating the suspicion of a failed terrorist attack.
'Pilot stabbed': Flydubai jet to Israel lands in Saudi after cockpit chaos
A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after an apparent altercation in the cockpit. Israeli officials confirmed a 'severe disaster' was averted, with initial fears of a hijacking prompting fighter jet deployment. Passenger accounts described panic and a pilot being stabbed, though the exact circumstances remain under investigation.
Fight between pilots causes Israel-bound flight to divert to Saudi Arabia, officials say
A commercial plane traveling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a reported fight between two pilots onboard.
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