A flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, after an altercation in the cockpit left both the pilot and co-pilot injured. The aircraft, flight FZ 1073, landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. While the airline described the event as an "onboard incident," some Israeli officials characterized it as an attempted hijacking and a terrorist attack.
The incident began as the Boeing aircraft entered Jordanian airspace. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the plane rapidly descending from 34,000 feet to 14,000 feet, with one official reporting a plunge of roughly 4,000 meters. During this time, the aircraft transmitted transponder code 7700 for a general emergency followed by code 7500, which indicates "unlawful interference." In response, the Israel Air Force scrambled fighter jets and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened security consultations.
According to Israeli officials and passenger accounts, the co-pilot, an Omani national, allegedly stabbed the captain, an Indian national, in an attempt to crash the plane. One passenger reported hearing screams and seeing blood before Israeli passengers and other crew members intervened to subdue the attacker and remove him from the cockpit. An Israeli dentist on board reportedly provided first aid to the wounded captain. Both pilots were hospitalized upon landing in Tabuk.
A person flying this route would have experienced a sudden descent and a confrontation, followed by an unscheduled landing in a foreign country. The incident has immediate legal and policy implications; Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev has requested a suspension of flydubai flights entering or exiting Israel. A ministry source noted flydubai is required to use pilots from countries with normalized ties to Israel, a condition allegedly bypassed in this instance.
What happens next: Flydubai announced it is sending a second aircraft to Saudi Arabia to transport the passengers to Tel Aviv. The Israeli government, along with the Shin Bet, Mossad, and Saudi authorities, are investigating the incident. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir monitored the situation to determine if additional military or civilian flights were necessary to return the passengers to Israel.