A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an apparent emergency in the cockpit, with Israeli officials alleging that one pilot attacked the other and attempted to crash the aircraft.
Flight FZ1073 landed at Tabuk airport after issuing emergency signals while travelling through Jordanian airspace. Israel scrambled warplanes in response, while Flydubai said an altercation had taken place on the flight deck and that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
The airline said the aircraft was secured by crew members who were travelling onboard. Saudi airport officials said the captain and first officer were both taken to hospital with injuries.
There has been no official confirmation that the incident was a hijacking attempt.
What happened on the Flydubai flight?
Video footage recorded inside the aircraft appeared to show the captain lying on the floor with several stab wounds, while a passenger was seen with a bloody injury to the head. Other footage showed passengers crying out as the plane shook.
Passengers told Israeli media that people seated near the front of the aircraft forced their way into the cockpit after the plane began to descend and appeared to lose control.
“An hour before landing, we felt that there was no control over the plane, that it was starting to jump,” passenger Dalia Shpigel said. “The guys saw that the plane had begun to dive and broke into the cockpit.”
Yasmin Abukasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said her daughter believed she was going to die. She said the plane began to lose control before other pilots onboard took over.
Flight-tracking data indicated that the aircraft descended more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, around two and a half hours after leaving Dubai.
The aircraft first transmitted the general emergency code 7700 at about 5.31am UTC. It later changed to code 7500, used to indicate unlawful interference, at about 5.38am. The flight landed at Tabuk Regional Airport at 6.45am.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the passengers who entered the cockpit had overpowered a pilot who was allegedly trying to sabotage the aircraft’s systems.
“I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage,” Mr Netanyahu said. “They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.”
What is known about the alleged attack?
The motive remains unclear. Mr Netanyahu said Saudi authorities were questioning the pilot alleged to have carried out the attack.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said preliminary information suggested the attacker had intended to crash the plane and kill everyone onboard. He described it as an “attempted jihadist terror attack”.
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, identified the alleged attacker as an Omani national. The claim has not been independently confirmed in the information available.
Mr Netanyahu also said Israel was preparing for other “potential threats” following the incident.
