An Israel-bound Flydubai flight was forced into an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after its co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to take control of the aircraft, according to Israeli officials. The dramatic incident unfolded on Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday.
The aircraft, carrying 174 passengers, experienced a sudden and severe drop in altitude after the confrontation in the cockpit. Flight-tracking data indicated that the aircraft descended by almost 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, turning what began as a routine journey into a potentially catastrophic emergency.
Despite suffering serious injuries, the captain was able to open the cockpit door. Passengers and crew members then rushed into the cockpit and restrained the co-pilot, according to accounts cited by Israeli officials and passengers. Two other Flydubai pilots who were on board subsequently helped regain control of the aircraft and divert it to Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft landed safely, and Flydubai confirmed that all passengers and crew members were safe and accounted for. The airline said its teams were working with the relevant authorities and that the circumstances surrounding the incident remained under investigation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the episode as an attempted attack and praised those who intervened to prevent a possible disaster. He said the consequences could have extended beyond Israel, potentially affecting confidence in international air travel.
“Good people won,” Netanyahu said while discussing the incident.
The Israeli prime minister has also spoken to US President Donald Trump about the episode. Netanyahu said Israel had received no advance warning or intelligence indicating that such an incident was about to take place.
A central question now is why the co-pilot attacked the captain and whether anyone else was involved. When asked whether Iran had played a role, Netanyahu said it was too early to draw conclusions. He said investigators would seek to establish whether the suspect acted alone, had accomplices or had links to any outside organisation or state.
The co-pilot is currently being questioned in Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu said he expected investigators to trace what he described as the attacker’s “roots” and establish the circumstances that led to the incident. He also said the suspect could later be transferred to the United Arab Emirates because he had boarded the flight there.
Israel is considering taking part in the investigation. Netanyahu said he had spoken to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and that the UAE had agreed to co-operate with the inquiry.
The incident has also raised questions about aviation security, particularly the safeguards surrounding cockpit access and the screening of flight crew. Israel has said it will tighten checks on pilots arriving in the country following the episode.
However, the precise motive remains unclear. Israeli authorities have described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack, but no detailed explanation of the suspect’s intentions has yet been made public.
Flydubai has urged caution against drawing premature conclusions. The airline has stressed that the cause and motive of the incident are still being established through an official investigation.
The sequence of events nevertheless highlights how quickly an in-flight confrontation can become a threat to hundreds of lives. In this case, the injured captain’s actions, the intervention of passengers and crew, and the assistance of the other pilots helped bring the aircraft back under control.
For now, investigators in Saudi Arabia, alongside authorities in the countries connected to the flight, face the task of establishing exactly what happened inside the cockpit, why the attack occurred and whether anyone else was involved. Those findings will determine whether the incident was an isolated act or part of a wider security threat.
