- Flydubai flight diverted following a violent cockpit incident.
- Passengers reported seeing a knife, blood, and pilot struggle.
- The aircraft suddenly plunged, transmitting emergency codes.
- Officials identified incident as pilot altercation, not hijacking.
Flydubai Flight to Israel diverted to Saudi Arabia: Screams, a sudden plunge and blood inside the cockpit left passengers fearing for their lives aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, after a violent incident involving the pilots forced the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Passengers on Flight FZ1073 described hearing a commotion towards the front of the Boeing 737 before seeing blood and a person with a knife inside the cockpit. One passenger’s account said a man was holding a knife and had forced one of the pilots to the floor. The testimony was relayed to Reuters by the passenger’s mother, Yasmin Abu Kasis.
The flight eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, with all passengers and crew accounted for. Flydubai has confirmed that an “incident” occurred during the flight but has not publicly detailed the reported stabbing or identified the pilots involved.
‘We Saw Blood’
Passengers said the ordeal began with screams coming from the front section of the aircraft.
Yasmin Abu Kasis said her daughter Miriam, who was travelling on the flight, told her that she heard screaming before seeing a man with a knife forcing one of the pilots to the floor. She also reported seeing blood.
Israeli media carried similar passenger accounts describing blood inside the cockpit and a struggle involving the pilots. One account said passengers and crew helped restrain the person involved.
The reports have not been independently verified in full. Reuters also reported that an image circulating in Israeli media, purportedly showing a passenger’s blood-stained shirt, could not immediately be verified.
Footage shows the landing of the “FlyDubai” flight in Saudi Arabia.
The passengers are singing in Hebrew “Avinu Malkeinu” (“Our Father, Our King”). pic.twitter.com/v3OJAZldWq
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) September 30, 2026
Plane Suddenly Plunges
The passenger accounts came as flight-tracking data showed the aircraft undergoing a dramatic descent.
According to Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters, FZ1073 suddenly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal was transmitted. The aircraft then changed course towards Saudi Arabia and eventually landed at Tabuk.
The aircraft had transmitted the international emergency code 7700 and briefly sent the 7500 code, which indicates unlawful interference. The latter signal initially raised fears that the flight could have been hijacked.
Israeli officials later said the incident was not believed to be a conventional hijacking and instead involved a physical altercation between the pilots.
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Emergency Response
The emergency signals triggered a major security response in Israel. Israeli officials said warplanes were scrambled as authorities assessed the situation involving a flight carrying Israeli passengers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the situation was under control and that measures were being taken to ensure the safe return of the Israeli passengers.
The airline, meanwhile, confirmed that the aircraft had diverted to Tabuk and landed safely.
“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” Flydubai said.
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Investigation Underway
The circumstances of the cockpit confrontation remain under investigation. An Israeli official told Reuters that the pilots had become involved in a physical altercation, while passengers described a more violent scene involving a knife and blood.
Israeli officials have also suggested that the incident may have involved an attempt to take control of the aircraft, although the motive and precise sequence of events have not been established publicly.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
