Flydubai pilot called ‘terrorist’ after attempting to crash Israel-bound plane; what we know so far

An Israel-bound Flydubai pilot was described as a “terrorist” by Israel’s national security minister on Wednesday after an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft carrying around 180 people triggered a dramatic mid-air struggle, emergency signals and the scrambling of Israeli fighter jets before the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash” the aircraft, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, while passengers and crew members intervened to overpower the attacker. The flight, FZ1073, eventually made an emergency landing at Tabuk in northern Saudi Arabia.

Also read: Former SpiceJet pilot at centre of Flydubai mid-air incident


The national security minister described the pilot involved as a “terrorist” who wanted to crash the aircraft and kill Israelis. The allegation remains under investigation. Israeli officials said Saudi authorities arrested the suspected attacker after the plane landed.

ET had reported earlier that the captain was an Indian national while the co-pilot was an Omani national. Ynet reported that the co-pilot was suspected of trying to crash the aircraft and that the Indian captain fought him to prevent the plane from going down. Flydubai has not publicly identified either pilot or confirmed their nationalities.

The airline confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an in-flight incident and landed safely at Tabuk, saying all passengers were safe and accounted for. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” flydubai said.

Plane plunges thousands of feet as pilots fight

The aircraft transmitted emergency signals while flying over Saudi Arabia, raising fears of a possible hijacking. Flight-tracking data showed it first sent squawk code 7700, the international signal for a general emergency, before transmitting code 7500, which is used to indicate hijacking or unlawful interference with an aircraft. Israeli authorities responded by scrambling fighter jets as they assessed whether the plane had been seized.

The aircraft then made a sharp descent. According to flight-tracking data cited in reports, it dropped from about 33,000 feet to around 17,000 feet in roughly a minute before changing course and eventually landing at Tabuk. Reuters reported that the aircraft descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the incident.

The Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk said it received a distress call from the aircraft at 8:44 a.m. local time and that the plane landed safely at 9:45 a.m. The captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital, according to the airport statement cited by Saudi state media.

Flydubai confirmed that flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport, had “experienced an incident while en route” and landed safely in Tabuk. The carrier said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and that the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew remained its priority.

Netanyahu said the confrontation began inside the cockpit and that the situation became critical as the aircraft started descending. According to his account, a passenger and a crew member managed to enter the cockpit, after which other crew members took over control of the aircraft.

“I salute these heroes who showed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster,” Netanyahu said.

Israeli media reported that other pilots who were travelling as passengers, dressed in civilian clothes, also helped operate the aircraft before it landed in Tabuk. The sequence of events and the precise role of each person remain part of the investigation.

Also read: Flydubai incident: Pilot stabbed, plane plunged thousands of feet, fighter jets scrambled. What happened on Dubai-Tel Aviv flight?

Passenger describes blood, screams inside aircraft

The drama was also described by relatives of passengers on board.

Yasmin Abukasis, whose daughter Miryam was travelling on the flight, told AFP that her daughter called her after landing and described a violent confrontation between the pilots.

“She said one pilot tried to kill the other pilot with a knife. They heard shouting, 'Help, help!' And one woman with three children went to the (cockpit) and saw a lot of blood,” Abukasis said.

She said her daughter told her that passengers “thought they were going to die” after the aircraft began behaving erratically. Miryam was travelling to Israel to attend a service for her brother, who was killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

Passengers who spoke to Israeli media similarly described hearing shouting near the front of the aircraft before the plane began a steep descent. Netanyahu said passengers and crew members intervened as the aircraft appeared to be entering a dangerous situation.

Video footage circulating on social media and reviewed by The Associated Press showed two injured men on the floor of the aircraft, with people apparently providing medical assistance and others guarding the cockpit. Passengers could reportedly be heard crying and calling out as the aircraft shook.

The incident initially triggered fears that the aircraft itself had been hijacked. Israeli authorities later determined that the emergency stemmed from the confrontation between the pilots, although the circumstances and motive remained under investigation.

The flight was carrying mostly Israeli passengers, according to reports. Flydubai, the low-cost sister carrier of Emirates, operates flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route that became popular after the UAE and Israel normalised diplomatic relations in 2020.

Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel but has allowed Israeli commercial aircraft to overfly its territory since 2022. The kingdom has also handled emergency landings involving Israeli passengers in the past.

Also read: Flydubai flight lands in Saudi Arabia after fight in cockpit; injured pilot hospitalised

Security fears rise ahead of Israel anniversary

The incident comes at a particularly sensitive time for Israel, days before the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and weeks ahead of elections.

Netanyahu has warned in recent days of heightened security threats without publicly detailing specific planned attacks. Following Wednesday’s incident, Israeli authorities moved quickly to assess whether the aircraft had been hijacked before it landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

The Israeli military said IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir held an assessment with senior officers, including Israeli Air Force chief Maj Gen Omer Tischler, Operations Directorate chief Maj Gen Itzik Cohen and Intelligence Directorate chief Maj Gen Shlomi Binder.

The emergency also revived concerns around aviation security on flights carrying Israelis. Israel has faced aircraft hijackings and attacks by Palestinian militants in previous decades, although it has not experienced a hijacking in decades and maintains stringent security measures for flights to the country.

For now, Saudi and Israeli authorities are investigating the cockpit confrontation, the alleged stabbing and the suspected attempt to take control of the aircraft. The identities of the two pilots have not been officially released by flydubai.

The aircraft itself landed safely, and flydubai said all passengers were accounted for. Israeli authorities said arrangements were being made to return the passengers to Israel after the emergency landing.