Tabuk Airport said both pilots of flydubai flight FZ1073 were hospitalised with injuries following the diversion on 30 September, Reuters reports.
Two unnamed Israeli officials now suspect an attempted terrorist attack, alleging that the co-pilot stabbed the captain. That assessment remains unconfirmed by flydubai or Saudi investigators, and qualifies earlier statements that the incident was not believed to be a hijacking.
According to an Israeli source, the co-pilot suspected of the act is of Omani origin while the pilot is reportedly from India.
? Cockpit video is now out
Shows a bloody altercation, with one of the pilots seen soaked in blood
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia after what authorities described as a “violent incident” between two pilots
The aircraft… pic.twitter.com/p3eIQ58Ndw
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) September 30, 2026
Saudi airport operator Cluster2 Airports said air traffic control at Tabuk received a distress call from flydubai flight FZ1073 at 08:44 local time. The Boeing 737 landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport at 09:45.
The captain and co-pilot were taken to hospital with injuries. Passengers received assistance in the terminal, while the airport and flydubai coordinated a replacement aircraft to complete their journey. Saudi authorities are continuing their investigation and have not publicly confirmed the cause or motive behind the cockpit incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash flydubai flight FZ1073. He said a passenger and crew member entered the cockpit as the aircraft descended, subdued the alleged attacker and enabled other crew members to take control.
Netanyahu also said Saudi authorities had arrested the pilot suspected of carrying out the attack. These details represent Israel’s account of the incident; Saudi authorities and flydubai have not yet publicly confirmed the alleged motive.
Video footage reviewed by the Associated Press shows two injured men receiving medical assistance and other people guarding the cockpit. The captain and first officer remain reported as hospitalised.
Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 are expected to continue their journey aboard another flydubai aircraft, the airline has confirmed.
According to two Israeli security sources cited by Reuters, Saudi Arabia rejected a request for Israeli military aircraft—including Super Hercules transports—to collect the passengers from Tabuk. Saudi authorities have not commented on that account. Saudi Arabia and Israel have no diplomatic relations.
All passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 have left Saudi Arabia aboard a replacement aircraft bound for Tel Aviv. The aircraft departed Tabuk at 17:40 local time on 30 September, around eight hours after the emergency landing, according to airport operator Cluster2 Airports.
Flydubai has now confirmed that an altercation occurred on the flight deck. The airline said other on-duty flydubai crew travelling aboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8 secured the aircraft, diverted it and landed safely at Tabuk. It stressed that the underlying reasons remain unknown and warned against premature speculation.
The reported stabbing and attempted deliberate crash remain part of the Israeli account and have not yet been confirmed by Saudi investigators or the airline. Both original pilots were taken to hospital; no updated information on their conditions has been released.
All passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 arrived safely at Ben Gurion International Airport aboard the replacement aircraft on Wednesday evening, completing their journey after approximately eight hours in Tabuk.
Israel’s Transport Ministry said it would investigate the incident jointly with the country’s defence establishment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered tighter checks on pilots operating both Israeli and foreign airlines into Israel. Flydubai continues to caution that the reasons behind the cockpit altercation remain undetermined.
India’s embassy in Saudi Arabia has identified the injured flydubai pilot as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, and said he is in stable condition. He remains under treatment at a hospital in Tabuk following the incident aboard flight FZ1073 on 30 September 2026.
Flydubai has temporarily suspended all flights to and from Ben Gurion International Airport following the FZ1073 incident on 30 September 2026. The airline said the suspension would allow investigators to establish the facts and would be reviewed as further information becomes available. No resumption date was announced.
This post was published on 30 September 2026 14:17
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