Flydubai Jet Bound for Israel Diverts to Saudi Arabia After Cockpit Attack

Flydubai Jet Bound for Israel Diverts to Saudi Arabia After Cockpit Attack

By Olufemi Odeyemi

TABUK, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 30 – A Flydubai passenger jet flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The airline said all passengers were safe.

Flydubai said the plane landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk after an incident during the journey. The aircraft sent an emergency alert shortly after take-off, according to public flight-tracking data. Flightradar24 data showed the flight, FZ1073, turning over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia while broadcasting a general emergency signal. Minutes later it sent a second signal indicating possible unlawful interference.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other in the cockpit in what may have been an attempt to crash the plane. He said a passenger helped restrain the attacker and another crew member entered the cockpit and landed the aircraft. An Israeli passenger told journalists that the crew asked for help and that passengers and cabin crew tackled one of the pilots and tied him down. Israeli media reported that two off-duty pilots travelling as passengers, one Russian and one Ukrainian, helped land the plane safely. The number of Israelis aboard was reported as more than 170. Other outlets put the figure at more than 100, and the accounts differ on who landed the aircraft.

The emergency alert set off a security response in Israel, where warplanes were reportedly scrambled amid fears of a hijacking. The route normally crosses Saudi and Jordanian airspace. Saudi Arabia has no official diplomatic relations with Israel.

An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity said there was suspicion of an attempted attack on Israelis aboard and that an investigation was ongoing. UAE officials had not commented at the time of the report. Israel said it would send a recovery flight to bring the stranded citizens home, pending Riyadh's approval. Passengers from the flight have since landed back in Israel.

It was not the first time a Dubai–Tel Aviv flight has ended up in Saudi Arabia. A Flydubai flight made an emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 because of a medical incident.

The motive, the condition of the injured pilot and the exact sequence of events in the cockpit have not been independently confirmed.