The Boeing 737 MAX reportedly plunged from around 34,000 feet to 17,000 feet in less than a minute before regaining control and diverting to Saudi Arabia.
The incident occurred aboard flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX carrying around 180 passengers, including Israelis, from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft transmitted the international emergency code 7700 before briefly sending code 7500, which indicates hijacking or unlawful interference.
Thanking the passengers who intervened during the incident, Ben-Gvir said Israel’s security approach needed to be strengthened and described the person under investigation as a “terrorist”. Regev, meanwhile, has demanded that all flydubai flights to Israel be suspended following the incident aboard a flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media reports. Israeli authorities reportedly scrambled fighter jets after losing contact with the aircraft. There were also unconfirmed reports that the confrontation began when one pilot attacked the other and that the aircraft was subsequently at risk of being deliberately crashed. Israeli officials are investigating the circumstances of the cockpit incident.
NEW DELHI: Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Thursday said the person involved in the cockpit incident aboard a flydubai flight had planned to crash the aircraft and kill the Israelis on board, as Transportation Minister Miri Regev called for the suspension of all flydubai flights to Israel following the incident.
Israeli media reports have identified the pilot under investigation as an Omani national, although the details have not been independently confirmed.