Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia after cockpit knife attack and rapid plunge
A Flydubai Boeing 737 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a pilot attacked a colleague with a knife and forced an abrupt descent.
Cockpit confrontation over Saudi airspace
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on the morning of 30 September 2026, carrying approximately 180 people. Shortly after 08:00, when the aircraft was over Saudi Arabia roughly one hour before scheduled arrival, a violent altercation erupted inside the cockpit. The crew transmitted general emergency code 7700, followed minutes later by code 7500 indicating unlawful interference on board. High-ranking Israeli security officials cited by Israeli media reported that one of the pilots attacked the other with a knife in an attempt to seize flight controls and crash the Boeing aircraft.
Severe altitude plunge and passenger intervention
The struggle over the controls triggered erratic maneuvers and steep vertical fluctuations near the Jordanian border. Flightradar24 telemetry showed that the aircraft dropped from 34,000 feet to 16,000 feet in under two minutes, descending at rates reaching 9,000 meters per minute compared to standard civil aviation limits of 1,200 meters per minute. The aircraft briefly climbed back above 6,000 meters before plunging below 4,000 meters. During the confrontation, the cockpit door opened, enabling passengers and a second flight crew traveling in civilian clothes to rush forward and pin the knife-wielding attacker to the floor.
A passenger identified as Miriam described the scene inside the cabin to broadcasting network i24News.
We only heard screaming, and then the cockpit doors opened and we saw a large amount of blood.
Aviation commentator Michał Setlak praised the cabin intervention on TVN24.
Fortunately, a tragedy was averted. The crew and passengers rose to the occasion.
- Flight FZ1073 departs Dubai bound for Tel Aviv carrying roughly 180 passengers.
- Cockpit crew transmits emergency squawk codes 7700 and 7500 over Saudi Arabia.
- Boeing 737 descends from 34,000 feet to 16,000 feet in under two minutes.
- Off-duty pilots and passengers overpower the knife-wielding attacker.
- Aircraft makes an emergency landing at Tabuk Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Diversion to Tabuk and medical response
After passengers and off-duty crew subdued the attacker, the aircraft diverted southward away from Jordan and toward Saudi Arabia. The Boeing 737 landed safely at Tabuk Regional Airport, located in a country that maintains no formal diplomatic ties with Israel. Tabuk airport officials confirmed that both the captain and the first officer suffered injuries during the struggle and were transported to a local hospital for medical care. Flydubai issued a statement confirming the safe landing, reporting that all passengers were unharmed, and arranging a replacement aircraft to fly travelers waiting at the Tabuk terminal to Tel Aviv.
Aviation analyst Tomasz Białoszewski emphasized the gravity of the breakdown on TVN24.
Such a situation should not have happened at all.
- Standard flight maximum rate
- 1200 m/min
- Flight FZ1073 peak climb rate
- 3000 m/min
- Flight FZ1073 peak descent rate
- 9000 m/min
Airspace alerts and international response
The transponder alerts and flight deviations prompted immediate defensive measures across Israeli airspace. The Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets, raised military readiness, and temporarily closed Israeli airspace to incoming commercial traffic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency security meeting with defense ministry representatives, after which his office stated that the situation was contained and that the aircraft was not hijacked. Israeli news outlet Walla reported that the pilot suspected of attempting to seize control is an Omani national who was detained for interrogation regarding whether the assault was driven by psychological distress or terrorism.
