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Flydubai Hijacking Attempt Diverts Flight to Saudi Arabia — AI-generated representative image: A passenger aircraft at a regional Saudi airport after an emergency diversion, with response vehicles nearby.

Editorial Team

Passengers overpowered a pilot accused of stabbing the captain on the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight before it landed safely in Tabuk.

A Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an apparent hijacking attempt in which one pilot allegedly stabbed the other and tried to crash the aircraft. Flight FZ1073 issued an emergency signal declaring "unlawful interference" before landing safely at Tabuk airport, where both the captain and first officer were hospitalised with injuries.

All passengers were reported safe and accounted for, and the mostly Israeli travellers were later flown to Tel Aviv on a replacement flight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said passengers who broke into the cockpit overpowered the suspected attacker and prevented a major disaster.

The incident has raised immediate security concerns across the region, with Israel ordering heightened protection for both Israeli and non-Israeli carriers. It unfolded days before Israel marks the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and weeks before a legislative election scheduled for October 27, placing aviation security and political accountability at the centre of public attention.

Sequence of the In-Flight Emergency

Flight tracking data recorded the aircraft descending roughly 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) in less than 30 seconds about two and a half hours after departure. Flightradar24 reported that a general emergency signal designated by code 7700 was issued at approximately 05:31 GMT, later changing to code 7500 declaring unlawful interference.

The confirmed timeline of events (GMT) is as follows:

03:05 - Flight FZ1073 takes off from Dubai
05:21 - Altitude fluctuations begin
05:22 - Aircraft drops more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds
05:31 - Signal changes to 7700 (general emergency)
05:38 - Signal changes to 7500 (unlawful interference)
06:45 - Aircraft lands at Tabuk regional airport

Netanyahu said one of the pilots had stabbed the other and then attempted to crash the plane, adding that Israel was preparing for other "potential threats" following the incident. No official confirmation of a hijacking attempt has yet been issued.

Regional Relations and Political Context

The United Arab Emirates has become a popular holiday destination for Israeli tourists since the two countries normalised ties in 2020. Israel, however, does not have formal diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia or Oman, maintaining only occasional dialogue through informal channels. Saudi Arabia has made normalisation of ties conditional on Israel's acceptance of a Palestinian state, while Oman has declined to join other regional countries in normalising relations over Palestinian rights.

Israel is days away from marking the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed. The conflict that followed has killed more than 75,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, including about 1,400 since a United States-brokered ceasefire took effect in October 2025.

Witness Accounts and Official Statements

Footage taken onboard appears to show the captain lying on the cabin floor with several stab wounds and a passenger with a bloody head wound. Passenger Dalia Shpigel told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that people seated near the front broke into the cockpit after the descent began. "An hour before landing, we felt that there was no control over the plane, that it was starting to jump," she said. "The guys saw that the plane had begun to dive and broke into the cockpit."

Passenger Yitzhak Lieber, reportedly one of those who overpowered the co-pilot, said in a video sent to his family: "There is a pilot who was seriously injured, they've evacuated him. We overpowered the terrorist and he is tied up." Flydubai said an altercation had occurred on the flight deck and that the plane was secured by on-duty crew travelling onboard, urging all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts. Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an "attempted jihadist terror attack," while an Israeli official speaking anonymously identified the attacker as an Omani national.

Investigation and Security Response

The motive behind the apparent attack remains unclear, with Saudi authorities interrogating the pilot accused of carrying it out. Netanyahu has ordered authorities to "ramp up" security on Israeli and non-Israeli carriers, and he greeted passengers at Ben Gurion airport's Terminal 1 upon their arrival later on Wednesday.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu's political allies of attempting to link the incident to earlier warnings of a possible attack on Israel, calling the claim unfounded. A formal investigation into the underlying reasons and motives remains ongoing.