Flydubai Flight Diverted After In‑flight Attack, Two Pilots Hospitalised

Flydubai flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia after a distress signal suggested an attempted hijacking.

According to the airline, an altercation broke out on the flight deck, and the aircraft was secured by on‑duty crew members. Both the captain and the first officer were taken to hospital with injuries after the plane landed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot allegedly stabbed the other and then tried to crash the aircraft, adding that Israel was preparing for other “potential threats”. The Israeli Defence Minister described the incident as an “attempted jihadist terror attack”. No official confirmation of a hijacking has been issued.

Flight‑tracking data showed the plane descended about 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) in less than 30 seconds roughly two and a half hours after take‑off. An initial emergency code 7700 was transmitted at 05:31 GMT, later changed to code 7500 for unlawful interference.

Passengers reported the aircraft shaking, loss of control and a passenger with a head wound. Some passengers broke into the cockpit and overpowered a pilot they said was attempting to sabotage the aircraft, actions praised by the prime minister.

The motive remains unclear, and Saudi authorities are reportedly interrogating the alleged attacker, identified by an Israeli source as an Omani national.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Kürşat Kuzu / Pexels.