Flydubai FZ1073 pilots injured on Dubai to Tel Aviv flight, hospitalised after Saudi emergency landing
The Boeing 737 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when it transmitted emergency signals while over the region.
The incident aboard Flight FZ1073 triggered emergency signals, a rapid drop in altitude and a major security response in Israel, including the scrambling of fighter jets amid fears that the aircraft had been hijacked.
The plane, carrying around 150 Israeli passengers according to Israeli media, eventually landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Both the captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital, according to the operator of Tabuk airport. Saudi authorities said the passengers were also given medical assistance.
flydubai FZ1073 · September 30, 2026
Flydubai FZ1073: From Dubai to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia
A Tel Aviv-bound flight lost half its altitude in about a minute, sent emergency codes and diverted to Tabuk after what Israeli officials describe as an attack in the cockpit.
Investigation ongoing
Flydubai FZ1073: What happened mid-air?
The flight, step by step. Times and altitudes are from Flightradar24 data.
FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, takes off for Tel Aviv with about 170 people on board.
About 2 hr 15 min into the flight Alleged
A confrontation breaks out in the cockpit. Israeli officials say the co-pilot stabbed the captain.
05:21 GMT · 34,000 ft → ~16,600 ft
Flight-tracking data shows the jet losing about half its altitude in roughly a minute.
05:28 and 05:35 GMT
The transponder shows 7700, a general emergency, then 7500, unlawful interference.
Israel
Fearing a possible hijacking, Israel scrambles fighter jets.
Cockpit Attributed
The injured captain opens the cockpit door so others can get in, Israeli PM Netanyahu said.
Passengers and crew Attributed
A passenger and crew members enter the cockpit and overpower the attacker, according to Netanyahu and passengers.
Towards Saudi Arabia
On-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight secure the plane and divert it to Tabuk, the airline says.
About 07:00 GMT · Tabuk
The aircraft lands safely. Passengers are safe; both pilots are taken to hospital.
Route is approximate. Cockpit events are based on accounts from Israeli officials, flydubai and passengers; their exact timing has not been made public.
India link: the injured captain, Smit Machchhar, is an Indian national, i24NEWS and Israel Hayom report. He is in a stable condition after surgery in Saudi Arabia, according to i24NEWS.
Inside the flydubai cockpit: What we know
The least clear part of the story, in sequence
1
Cockpit confrontation
A fight breaks out between the two pilots
2
One pilot allegedly stabs the other
Israeli officials say the co-pilot stabbed the captain
3
Attempt to take control
Netanyahu says the attacker “apparently tried to crash the plane”
4
Injured pilot opens the cockpit door
The wounded captain lets others in, Netanyahu said
5
A passenger and crew member enter
A passenger says a relief pilot called for help and others followed
6
Attacker subdued
Passengers and crew overpower him
7
Other crew regain control
flydubai: on-duty crew travelling on the flight secured the plane
Based on accounts from Israeli officials and passengers; investigation ongoing. flydubai says the reasons and motives “remain unknown and are subject to a formal investigation”.
Why did Israel scramble fighter jets?
What Israeli authorities could see from the ground
Israeli officials later said the incident involved an alleged attack by one pilot on the other. Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash the plane”. The investigation is ongoing.
‘We need help’: What passengers saw aboard Flydubai FZ1073
In passengers’ own words. Their accounts have not been independently verified.
A bloodied passenger
“We are in the middle of a plane hijacking. At the moment, we have subdued the terrorists and we are preparing to land… We need help.”
Passenger video, as reported by Ynet
Passengers rush the cockpit
“A few of us just jumped in and pulled him out of the cockpit. Everything is OK now.”
Passenger, as reported by Ynet
An injured pilot
“Everyone on the plane is safe and well except for the pilot.”
Passenger, as reported by Ynet
Crew and passengers restrain the attacker
“He called for help, and two others and I entered the cockpit and subdued the terrorist. I’m covered in blood.”
Zvika Manes, passenger, to Ynet
Passengers stay on board after landing
Passengers remained on the plane after it landed in Tabuk.
Euronews
Saudi security surrounds the aircraft
A heavy Saudi security presence surrounded the plane.
Euronews
The numbers behind the flydubai emergency
Each figure with its source
~170people on boardNewsweek; i24 says 174
34,000 ftcruising altitude before the dropFlightradar24
~16,600 ftlowest point of the dropFlightradar24 data
The Boeing 737 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when it transmitted emergency signals while over the region.
According to Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters, the aircraft transmitted a general emergency signal and then another signal indicating possible unlawful interference.
The aircraft also suddenly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal, according to the flight-tracking data. It subsequently diverted towards Saudi Arabia and landed at Tabuk.
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The sharp descent and the unlawful-interference signal triggered fears of a hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets.
Initially, an Israeli official said the emergency signals appeared to have been sent after a physical altercation between the pilots. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office also said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking.
But the assessment later changed.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel believed the incident may have been an attempted “terror attack”. They said the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control of the aircraft. One official identified the alleged attacker as an Omani national.
The officials spoke anonymously because the investigation was still under way.
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Passengers describe screams, blood and chaos
Passengers aboard the aircraft described hearing screams and a struggle near the cockpit.
Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter was on the flight, told Reuters that her daughter heard someone shouting “help” and that the aircraft appeared to lose control, causing passengers to panic.
She said her daughter told her that two people, whom she understood to be pilots, eventually wrested control of the aircraft while others tried to subdue an attacker on the floor.
She also said there was “a lot of blood” and chaos aboard the plane.
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Another passenger account cited by Reuters said a man holding a knife forced one of the pilots onto the floor.
Israeli media also published a photograph purportedly taken inside the aircraft showing what appeared to be a passenger with a blood-soaked shirt. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the image.
Passengers post videos after the incident
Videos recorded by passengers after the cockpit confrontation have also emerged. In one video, a bloodied passenger speaks into the camera as the aircraft approaches Tabuk.
“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help,” he says.
He then says the plane is landing in “Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia”, describing it as an unfamiliar place.
The passenger says everyone aboard is safe “other than the pilot” and again asks for help. The passenger’s use of the terms “hijacking” and “terrorists” reflects his account of what he believed was happening aboard the aircraft and does not independently establish the motive or identity of the alleged attacker.
Other footage reportedly shows an injured pilot and another crew member being restrained.
The aircraft’s emergency signals initially raised the possibility of a hijacking. Flight-tracking data showed a general emergency signal followed by a signal indicating unlawful interference, commonly associated with a hijacking.
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Israel scrambled fighter jets while authorities tried to establish what was happening aboard the aircraft. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli security officials held consultations over the incident.
Netanyahu’s office later said the situation was under control and that efforts were being made to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel.
What does Flydubai say?
Flydubai has not confirmed the alleged stabbing or attempted terror attack. The airline said Flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport, experienced an “incident” while en route and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely.
“All passengers are safe and accounted for,” the airline said, adding that its teams were working with the relevant authorities and that further updates would be issued as confirmed details became available.
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What happened after landing?
Tabuk airport said the aircraft issued a distress call at 8:44 am local time and landed safely at 9:45 am.
The captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital, while passengers received assistance from local authorities. A replacement aircraft was being arranged for the passengers, according to the airport operator.
The episode is particularly sensitive because Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia has nevertheless facilitated emergency landings involving Israeli passengers in the past.
The Dubai-Tel Aviv route is a regular Flydubai service and has become popular among Israeli travellers since the UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020.
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What is still being investigated?
The exact sequence inside the cockpit remains unclear.
Authorities are investigating what triggered the confrontation, who initiated the violence, whether the stabbing was deliberate, whether the co-pilot intended to take control of the aircraft, and whether there was a specific motive. The Israeli assessment that the incident may have been an attempted terror attack is now the most significant development, but it remains an assessment rather than a final finding.
Flydubai has so far confirmed only that an incident occurred, that the aircraft diverted to Tabuk and that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
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