Hijacking Fails Midflight After Stabbing on Flydubai Flight to Israel

by CrownHeights.info

Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was en route from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport with more than 150 passengers—many of them Israelis—when an alarming incident unfolded over the region.

According to flight-tracking data and reports from passengers and Israeli officials, the aircraft transmitted the international emergency code 7700, indicating a general emergency, before transmitting 7500, the code used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft and commonly associated with a possible hijacking.

Around the same time, the Boeing 737 reportedly underwent a dramatic and rapid descent, dropping approximately 14,000–18,000 feet within a short period. The aircraft then changed course and diverted toward northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Initial reports indicated that the emergency was connected to a violent altercation between the two pilots inside the cockpit.

Passengers later described hearing screams and seeing signs of a struggle. Some accounts reported that one pilot was stabbed and that passengers and other crew members became involved in restraining the individual involved. Photos circulating in Israeli media appeared to show blood on a passenger’s clothing, although details of the incident remain under investigation.

Some Israeli security officials initially feared that the incident could represent an attempted hijacking or an effort to deliberately crash the aircraft. One Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that authorities were investigating whether the incident was intended as a terror attack and whether the pilot involved had attempted to take control of the aircraft.

However, other Israeli officials subsequently emphasized that the incident was not being formally characterized as a hijacking. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office described the situation as under control, while Reuters reported that an Israeli official characterized it as a different type of incident involving a physical altercation between the pilots.

The aircraft ultimately landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, rather than continuing to Israel.

Saudi authorities said the pilots were injured and received medical treatment following the landing. All passengers were reported safe and accounted for.

Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an “incident” while traveling to Tel Aviv and had diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. The airline said it was working with the relevant authorities and that all passengers were safe and accounted for.

The airline is expected to arrange another aircraft to bring the stranded passengers back to Israel.