Israeli Passengers Help Stop Suspected Midair Attack on Flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, after a violent confrontation in the cockpit that Israeli officials are investigating as a suspected attempt to crash the aircraft.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 — a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, plus six crew — left Dubai International Airport early Wednesday bound for Ben Gurion Airport. Midflight, tracking data showed a rapid loss of altitude from roughly 34,000 feet, and the jet transmitted emergency transponder codes, including the international signal for unlawful interference. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as authorities tried to determine what was happening aboard.

The aircraft later landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said the plane “experienced an incident while en route,” that it landed safely, and that all passengers were safe and accounted for. Tabuk Airport said both pilots were hospitalized after sustaining injuries. A replacement aircraft was being arranged to bring travelers onward.

What passengers and officials say happened

According to multiple passenger accounts relayed to Israeli media, a struggle broke out between the flight’s pilots. Travelers described hearing screams near the front of the cabin, seeing blood, and feeling the plane plunge and sway before control was restored.

Israeli officials’ emerging assessment, reported by outlets including Ynet and The Jerusalem Post, is that the first officer — identified in those reports as an Omani national — allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to seize control of the aircraft in order to crash it. Ynet, citing Israeli officials, identified the captain as an Indian national who fought to keep the plane from going down. Other early reports differed on the captain’s nationality; that detail remains part of the unfolding investigation.

Passengers said Israelis seated near the front, together with off-duty pilots traveling as passengers, rushed toward the cockpit, helped pull the attacker out, and secured the flight deck so another pilot could stabilize the jet. Zvika Manes, who told Calcalist he was among those who entered the cockpit, said his wife heard screams and alerted a relief pilot sitting nearby. “He called for help, and two others and I entered the cockpit and subdued the terrorist. I’m covered in blood. It was insane,” Manes said.

In videos filmed from the cabin while the plane was still airborne, bloodied passengers described an attacker with a knife, said the situation was under control, and appealed for help as the jet prepared to land in Tabuk. Relatives speaking to Reuters and Israeli outlets also described accounts of a man with a knife pinning a pilot and of large amounts of blood near the cockpit.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the incident was under control and that measures were underway to return Israeli passengers safely to Israel. The Mossad has been reported as coordinating Israel’s contact with Saudi Arabia over the event. Flydubai said it was investigating and working with relevant authorities.

Investigation still open — motive not confirmed

As of Wednesday afternoon Eastern time, neither Flydubai nor Saudi authorities had publicly confirmed a terrorism finding or a detailed motive. Airline statements described an in-flight incident and a fight involving the pilots; Israeli security agencies are treating the episode as a suspected terrorist attempt to bring down a plane crowded with Israeli travelers.

No independent confirmation has established an organizational claim of responsibility, and early conflicting details — including crew nationalities and exactly who landed the aircraft — underscore that the official picture is still forming. What is clear from airline, airport, and flight-tracking data is that FZ1073 issued emergency signals, diverted to Tabuk, and landed with all passengers reported safe.

Sources

• Ynet
• Jerusalem Post
• Gulf News
• Al Jazeera
• AeroTime
• Aviation Herald