Passengers on board a flydubai flight underwent a terrifying ordeal on Wednesday 30 September, when a pilot was stabbed, and their aircraft plummeted 4,000 metres in seconds. Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Israel was carrying over 150 people, most of whom were Israeli, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Initial reports say an altercation between the pilots led to one of the pair being stabbed. Passengers and crew were forced to intervene to restrain the alleged culprit, who is said to have tried to crash the plane.
Speaking to press, Netanyahu cited eyewitness reports that passengers and crew had teamed up to storm the cockpit after the aircraft “entered a tailspin and began to dive.” Inside, they discovered the co-pilot “trying to sabotage the plane’s systems” while the wounded and heavily bleeding pilot lay on the floor. The victim had managed to release the cockpit door.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 30, 2026
"This morning, there was a serious security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel. Almost all the passengers on the flight were Israelis. During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second pilot, and… pic.twitter.com/PrK7f7gS1P
“They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster,” Netanyahu said, praising those who had intervened.
During the course of the crisis, in less than two minutes, Flightradar24 data shows the aircraft lost about 4,000 metres in altitude. Fortunately, a backup team of pilots was on board. They made an emergency call and diverted from the usual flight path over Saudi Arabia and Jordan to land instead in Tabuk.
#BREAKING:🇦🇪🇸🇦 Copilot stabbed the captain on Flydubai FZ1073
— Twilight (@TwilightDewy) September 30, 2026
Jet plunged then landed safely in Tabuk#Dubai #Flydubai #Aviation pic.twitter.com/mnEuewVcPu
There, passengers and crew were examined by medical workers and the injured captain and first officer were hospitalised, according to the Saudi Arabian airport operator. No other injuries were reported. The alleged assailant and co-pilot, identified as an Omani national, was arrested.
Photos are circulating reportedly of a passenger who, along with other passengers, managed to subdue one of the pilots on board Flydubai flight FZ1073.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) September 30, 2026
An Israeli official said there was suspicion that one pilot may have tried to crash the aircraft before the other pilot, with… pic.twitter.com/hS08XIM8Lf
Later, the majority of passengers were flown on to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport courtesy of a flydubai flight. A spokesperson for the carrier said: “Our immediate priority is to ensure the ongoing safety, health, and wellbeing of all passengers and crew members involved in this incident and support the official investigation.”
The flydubai rescue came after Saudi authorities refused to allow an Israeli military or civilian plane to repatriate the affected flyers, amid ongoing foreign policy tensions between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
They have been brought home. https://t.co/FpHoNz0P2e pic.twitter.com/T2FgKcvJsf
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) September 30, 2026
Israel and the UAE, on the other hand, have cooperated on security, military, and economic issues since a diplomatic thaw in 2020, with Israel supplying the Emirates with Iron Dome defence systems against Iranian attacks earlier this year.
The latest incident, which Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has branded an “attempted jihadist terror attack” ahead of upcoming national elections, is another disturbing part of the current fragmented security and picture in the Gulf region and its skies.
