Flydubai Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia After Cockpit Knife Attack; Israeli Passengers Flown to Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV (Terror Monitor) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met passengers at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday after they arrived in Israel on a special flight from Saudi Arabia, following a dramatic incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv in which one pilot allegedly stabbed another inside the cockpit.

The Flydubai flight, carrying around 150 passengers, most of them Israeli citizens, was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia and make an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport after a confrontation broke out between two pilots during the flight.

Netanyahu said the pilot who allegedly attacked his colleague appeared to have intended to crash the aircraft while passengers were still on board.

“The pilot apparently wanted to crash the plane with the passengers on board,” Netanyahu said while commenting on the incident.

The passengers were later transferred from Tabuk to Tel Aviv on an alternative aircraft.

Passenger describes struggle inside cockpit

An Israeli passenger identified as Yaniv told Netanyahu that he and another passenger entered the cockpit after the incident and helped restrain the attacker.

According to Yaniv, opening the cockpit door was difficult because the injured pilot was positioned close to it.

He said that once the door opened, he saw the alleged attacker leaning over the cockpit controls while the pilots were no longer seated normally.

“One pilot was on the floor and the other had fallen over the cockpit instruments,” Yaniv told Netanyahu.

He said he and another passenger entered the cockpit, grabbed the attacker and pulled him away from the cockpit after placing him in a restraint hold.

Yaniv also said the attacker appeared to be trying to damage cockpit equipment.

Afterward, he said, passengers were called upon to help restrain the attacker and prevent him from taking further action.

Yaniv told Netanyahu that he also took hold of the aircraft's controls because he had watched videos about aircraft accident investigations and believed he could assist until another pilot took control.

A video released on Netanyahu's official social media account showed the prime minister embracing passengers and welcoming them after their arrival in Israel. One passenger seen in the video was wearing a blood-stained shirt.

Flight diverted after emergency and hijacking codes

Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport early Wednesday morning bound for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, approximately two hours after departure the aircraft transmitted squawk code 7700, which indicates a general emergency.

A few minutes later, the aircraft reportedly transmitted code 7500, which is commonly associated with unlawful interference or a hijacking situation. The code was subsequently changed back to a general emergency signal.

Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft entering Jordanian airspace briefly before turning back toward Saudi Arabia.

The aircraft then rapidly descended after entering Saudi airspace and eventually diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

According to the flight data cited in reports, the aircraft descended from around 17,000 feet within less than two minutes shortly after 10:21 a.m. Pakistan time.

The aircraft subsequently landed safely at Tabuk Airport.

Passengers describe panic and blood inside aircraft

Passengers and relatives who spoke to international news agencies and Israeli media described scenes of panic during the flight.

Yasmin Abu Qassis, the mother of a passenger identified as Maryam, told The Associated Press and Reuters that her daughter called during the flight and reported hearing screaming and one of the pilots calling for help.

According to Abu Qassis, her daughter said it appeared that the aircraft was losing control, causing panic among passengers.

She said Maryam told her that a man had forced one of the pilots to the ground with a knife and that there was blood inside the aircraft.

Abu Qassis later told Reuters that two relief pilots took control of the aircraft while passengers moved toward the man who was allegedly holding the knife.

A passenger who spoke to The Jerusalem Post said one pilot had stabbed another pilot and that passengers seated near the front of the aircraft helped remove the alleged attacker from the cockpit.

The passenger said two other pilots seated toward the rear of the aircraft subsequently took responsibility for flying the plane and helped bring it safely to Saudi Arabia.

Another passenger, Almog Atali, said the two pilots were relief pilots who were expected to take over duties later during the journey.

Atali said one of the relief pilots was British and the other was European, although he did not provide the second pilot's nationality.

He said the precise circumstances inside the cockpit remained unclear but that the relief pilots managed to regain control of the aircraft and land safely in Saudi Arabia.

Another Israeli passenger told reporters that crew members called for assistance, prompting several passengers to restrain the alleged attacker and tie him up.

A female passenger who spoke to Israel Hayom said passengers initially believed the pilots had lost control of the aircraft. She said one pilot had suffered serious knife wounds and that blood had splattered onto the clothing of some passengers.

Passenger video verified by Terror Monitor.

Israeli media also circulated a video apparently recorded by a passenger during the incident.

The Terror Monitor's verification team said its review found no evidence that the video had been manipulated using artificial intelligence and found no indication that it had been posted online before the incident.

In the video, the man has blood visible on his face and appears to be filming himself inside the aircraft.

“We are here, on the plane. We have just subdued the militants. We are going to land,” he says in the video.

He then appeals for assistance, saying the aircraft is landing in Tabuk and that everyone aboard is safe except the pilot.

“We need help,” he says.

Flydubai confirms cockpit altercation

Flydubai confirmed that flight FZ1073 encountered an incident while flying from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport on September 30.

The airline said an altercation occurred in the flight deck during the journey.

According to a Flydubai spokesperson, the airline's operating crew successfully brought the situation under control before diverting the aircraft to Tabuk Airport, where it landed safely.

“All passengers and crew are safe,” the airline said.

Flydubai said the underlying causes and motivations of the incident had not yet been established and would be determined through a formal investigation.

The airline urged the public to avoid speculation until the investigation is completed.

Two pilots injured

The company operating Tabuk Airport said both the captain and first officer of the Flydubai aircraft were injured and taken to hospital for medical treatment.

According to the airport operator, Tabuk's air traffic control center received an emergency call from the aircraft at 8:44 a.m. local time, requesting an emergency landing.

The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk approximately an hour later.

The circumstances surrounding the injuries and the confrontation remain subject to investigation.

Israeli officials call incident attempted attack

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said preliminary evidence indicated that one of the pilots had intended to deliberately crash the aircraft and kill everyone on board.

Katz described the incident as an alleged failed “jihadist terrorist attack” and praised the Israeli passengers who helped overpower the pilot.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also commented on the incident on social media, although his remarks did not appear to constitute a formal government assessment.

Ben-Gvir said an “extremist” had planned to crash the aircraft and kill those aboard.

He praised what he described as the “brave passengers” and called for Israel's security doctrine to be strengthened. He also said Israel should not stop until it achieves what he described as “complete victory” on its various fronts.

The comments came as authorities continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the cockpit confrontation.

Opposition figure criticizes government response

Yair Golan, leader of Israel's left-wing Democrats party, praised the courage of passengers who intervened during the incident but criticized the government's response.

Golan accused the government of using the incident for what he called “cheap political point-scoring.”

The competing political reactions came as investigators continued to establish what happened inside the cockpit, why the confrontation occurred and whether the incident was connected to an intentional attempt to divert or crash the aircraft.

For now, Flydubai has confirmed only that an altercation occurred in the flight deck, that the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, and that all passengers and crew survived the incident.