File photo: Israeli tourists leave a FlyDubai plane that departed from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP photo)
The aircraft suddenly descended from nearly 34,000 feet to less than 17,000 feet within about a minute, according to publicly available flight-tracking data cited by news agency AFP. Another passenger, identified as Noam, told Channel 12 that passengers realised something was wrong after hearing screams. “Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available. Israeli media reported that an emergency signal was transmitted and that a fight had apparently broken out between the pilots. The exact cause of the altercation has not been confirmed. We understand that one of the pilots was stabbed and seriously wounded, and they lost control of the plane. Israeli media reported that fighter jets were sent to intercept the aircraft after concerns about a possible hijacking. The aircraft was later confirmed to have landed safely in Tabuk. Flydubai said its teams were working with the relevant authorities and that further updates would be issued once confirmed information became available.
Flydubai flight FZ 1073 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv when it experienced what the airline described only as an “incident”. The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, and flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” the airline said. Passengers told Israeli media that they heard screams and noticed a sudden descent of the aircraft. One passenger told Israeli media that passengers heard screams before the cockpit was opened and that blood was visible inside. She said Israeli passengers helped crew members restrain the attacker. It was very scary,” she said. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations after concerns over the aviation incident and was monitoring developments. “The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” it said.
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled amid initial fears of a possible hijacking, while the aircraft later landed safely in Tabuk. These reports remain unconfirmed. Neither flydubai nor authorities involved in the incident have provided details on what happened inside the cockpit. “Screams began on the plane, by passengers who realised what was happening. It started to dive quickly. Israeli media, citing anonymous sources, published photographs of a passenger wearing a bloodied T-shirt. However, the hypothesis was later dismissed. The incident remains under investigation. The airline was also sending another aircraft to Tabuk to transport the stranded passengers to Tel Aviv. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an incident on board, with reports pointing to an altercation between the two pilots.
As per Channel 12, a second team of pilots in civilian clothes was travelling as passengers on the aircraft. Channel 12 said authorities were examining whether one pilot had attempted a possible suicide by trying to crash the aircraft, with the other pilot apparently intervening. The exact circumstances remain under investigation, and several details reported by Israeli media have not been independently confirmed by the airline or authorities. Israeli media have further reported that authorities are investigating whether one of the pilots attempted to crash the plane.
Citing the Walla news outlet, the pilot under investigation is Omani, according to the Times of Israel. They helped prevent one of the pilots from taking control of the aircraft, according to the report.