A Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on September 30 after a serious incident involving the pilots triggered emergency signals and raised fears of a possible hijacking or deliberate attack. The Boeing 737 operating Flight FZ1073 landed safely at Tabuk airport, with all passengers accounted for, while both pilots were taken to hospital for treatment.
Israeli officials said the aircraft transmitted a general emergency signal followed by another signal indicating possible unlawful interference while flying over Jordanian airspace. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft also underwent a rapid descent of nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before stabilising.
Initial reports indicated that the emergency situation followed a physical altercation between the two pilots inside the cockpit. Israeli officials later said the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew members entered the cockpit and took control of the situation. Passenger accounts reported hearing screams and seeing blood after the cockpit door was opened, although some of these details have not been independently verified.
The incident initially triggered concerns in Israel that the aircraft could have been hijacked. Israeli fighter aircraft were reportedly scrambled as a precaution while the flight was diverted toward Saudi Arabia. However, an Israeli Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson initially said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking, describing it as a different type of incident.
The assessment subsequently became more serious, with Israeli officials saying the incident may have involved an attempted terror attack by one of the pilots. Israeli media also reported that investigators were examining whether one of the pilots had attempted to take control of the aircraft with the intention of crashing it. These reports remain part of an ongoing investigation, and authorities have not publicly established the motive.
There have also been conflicting reports about the identities and nationalities of the pilots. Some Israeli media reports identified them as Omani and Emirati nationals, while other reports described them as Russian and Ukrainian. These details had not been independently confirmed at the time of reporting.
The aircraft eventually landed safely at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flydubai confirmed that Flight FZ1073, which was travelling to Ben Gurion Airport, had experienced an incident and diverted to Tabuk. The airline said its teams were working with the relevant authorities and confirmed that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
The incident prompted security consultations in Israel as authorities worked to determine exactly what happened inside the cockpit and why the aircraft transmitted emergency signals. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed on the situation, while officials said measures were being taken to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.
The investigation is expected to focus on the cockpit confrontation, the aircraft’s sudden descent, the emergency signals and the actions of the pilots before the aircraft diverted to Saudi Arabia. While comparisons with past aviation attacks have appeared in media reports, authorities have yet to establish whether the incident was a deliberate terrorist attack, an attempted hijacking or another form of cockpit emergency.