A Flydubai passenger jet bound for Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after an alleged cockpit attack in which one pilot was stabbed and the aircraft entered a steep descent.
Flight FZ1073, carrying 174 people from Dubai to Israel, diverted to Tabuk after the incident while flying over the region. Israeli authorities feared the Boeing 737 MAX had been hijacked and scrambled fighter jets, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency security meeting.
The aircraft was cruising at about 34,000ft when it dropped approximately 14,000ft in 29 seconds. Flight data showed it descended more than 17,000ft in less than two minutes shortly after 5.21am UTC.
Passengers described hearing screams and seeing blood near the cockpit. Some said they prayed as the plane appeared to lose control.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, described the incident as “an attempted jihadist terror attack”, claiming it had been prevented by Israeli passengers. He did not identify the source of the alleged motive, and the circumstances remain under investigation.
Passengers restrained alleged attacker
Accounts from those on board said passengers and crew members intervened after one pilot allegedly attacked the other with a knife.
One passenger, Almog Itali, said two relief pilots who had been travelling on the aircraft came forward and helped stabilise the jet. He said one was British and the other European, although the UK Foreign Office said it was not aware of any Britons being involved.
Mr Itali said the details remained unclear, but added: “There were two pilots in the front, one stabbed the other, and there were two spare pilots who were supposed to operate the next flight.”
In a translated clip, he said the relief pilots entered the cockpit, pulled back on the controls and landed the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
Another passenger told Israeli media: “We jumped on the pilot with force and tied him up with headphones.”
Video recorded after the incident showed a bloodied crew member being treated on the floor outside the cockpit. A second crew member appeared to be unconscious, while photographs showed passengers with blood on their clothing and faces.
One passenger recorded a message saying: “We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing.”
Another said: “We were either going to crash or be murdered. It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air.”
Passengers told Israeli media that the aircraft had begun to dive rapidly after shouts were heard near the front. One woman said passengers opened the cockpit door and saw that a pilot had been stabbed with a pocketknife.
Dalia Shpigelon said three to five men rushed into the cockpit, subdued the attacker and began treating the wounded pilot. She said the plane later stabilised before continuing towards Tabuk.
Emergency signals transmitted by aircraft
The aircraft transmitted the general emergency squawk code 7700 as it made a U-turn near the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. While over Saudi Arabia, it briefly transmitted code 7500, which indicates unlawful interference or a hijacking.
Israeli officials said contact with the aircraft had been lost during the incident, prompting concerns that it had been seized. One official said a “major disaster was narrowly avoided”, while another suggested passengers had prevented an “Israeli 9/11”.
Mr Netanyahu said an Israeli passenger had told him the aircraft went into a spin and began to descend. He said the passenger and a crew member had managed to enter the cockpit and overpower the pilot who had allegedly carried out the stabbing.
“I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage,” Mr Netanyahu said. “They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.”
He said the alleged attacker, identified by an Israeli official as an Omani national, had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.
Photographs appeared to show damage to the aircraft’s rudder, with a section missing from the vertical stabiliser. The cause of the damage has not been established.
Flydubai said an altercation had taken place in the flight deck and that the aircraft had been secured by off-duty crew members travelling on the flight.
“All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for,” the airline said, adding that replacement aircraft had been sent to Tabuk to transport them onwards.
The airline said the reasons and motives behind the incident were unknown and remained subject to a formal investigation, urging against premature speculation.
The passengers later arrived safely in Israel on a second Flydubai flight, which landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 3.34pm GMT.
