Not ‘hijacked’: What happened to Flydubai FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv mid-air

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

Mid-air timelineInside the cockpitWhy jets scrambledWhat passengers sawThe numbers

Flydubai FZ1073: What happened mid-air?

The flight, step by step. Times and altitudes are from Flightradar24 data.

​Tap to pause​Paused · tap to play

Dubaitake-offTel AvivdestinationTabuklandedJORDANSAUDI ARABIAUAEIRAQEGYPT 77007500

Altitude

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1. ​
2. Take-off
3. Confrontation
4. Plunge
5. 7700 → 7500
6. Jets scrambled
7. Door opens
8. Attacker subdued
9. Diverts
10. Lands

03:05 GMT · Dubai

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. 1

   Cockpit confrontation

   A fight breaks out between the two pilots

2. 2

   One pilot allegedly stabs the other

   Israeli officials say the co-pilot stabbed the captain

3. 3

   Attempt to take control

   Netanyahu says the attacker “apparently tried to crash the plane”

4. 4

   Injured pilot opens the cockpit door

   The wounded captain lets others in, Netanyahu said

5. 5

   A passenger and crew member enter

   A passenger says a relief pilot called for help and others followed

6. 6

   Attacker subdued

   Passengers and crew overpower him

7. 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

1. 
   1 · Emergency signalThe aircraft transmits 7700, then 7500: unlawful interference
2. 
   2 · Rapid altitude loss34,000 ft to about 16,600 ft in roughly a minute
3. 
   3 · Hijacking fearedIsraeli authorities scramble fighter jets

What actually happened?

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
• ~1 mintime the drop tookFlightradar24 data
• ~2 hr 15 minafter take-off (03:05 → 05:21 GMT)Flightradar24
• 7700general emergency codeFlightradar24
• 7500unlawful interference codeFlightradar24
• Tabukemergency landing, Saudi Arabiaflydubai
• 2 pilotsinjured and hospitalisedAeroTime, i24

Some reports give the drop as 33,000 ft to 17,000 ft. Flightradar24 data shows 34,000 ft to as low as 16,600 ft.

Sources: flydubai, Flightradar24, Reuters, Newsweek, AeroTime, Euronews, Ynet, i24NEWS, Israel Hayom, Unilad Tech (Flightradar24 data). Map: Natural Earth.

Express InfoGenIE

But the incident ultimately appeared to have begun inside the cockpit.

Flydubai FZ1073: 8 key questions about what happened

1. 01

   Did a crew member try to crash the Flydubai plane?

   Israeli media are now reporting that authorities are investigating whether one of the pilots tried to take control of Flight FZ1073 and crash it. Channel 12 and Ynet have reported a growing assessment that the incident may have been an attempted terror attack, although they have stressed that this has not been established definitively. Other possibilities, including a non-political mental-health episode, are also reportedly being examined.

   Also Read | Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv passengers recall horror, post videos

2. 02

   What are passengers saying happened inside the aircraft?

   Passengers have described shouting and a violent struggle near the cockpit. One passenger, Meital, told Channel 12 that her husband rushed towards the front of the plane after someone shouted “stabbing” and, together with other Israeli passengers, helped restrain what she described as a “terrorist”. She alleged there were stabbings and “a lot of blood”. Another passenger reportedly told his family that someone had attempted to take over the aircraft and had been restrained.

   flydubai FZ1073 · September 30, 2026

   How the plane plunged

   Flight-tracking data shows the Tel Aviv-bound jet dropping from 34,000 ft to about 16,600 ft in roughly a minute.

   ​Tap to pause​Paused · tap to play

   ​​​

   Time (GMT)

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   Altitude

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   10,000 ft20,000 ft30,000 ft05:1905:2105:2205:2805:3305:37One minute, enlargedEverest · 29,032 ftSharp climb, then another descent: exact altitudes not published −17,400 ftin about a minute 7700 · 05:287500 · 05:35

   SLOWED DOWN

   • ~17,400 ftlost in about a minute: 34,000 ft to ~16,600 ftFlightradar24 data
   • ~290 ft/saverage rate of the drop, about 88 metres every secondCalculated from the figures above
   • 6.4×the height of the Burj Khalifa (2,717 ft), lost in one minute
     ​​​​​​​
   • ~593 knotsspeed around the time of the dropFlightradar24 data, via Unilad Tech

   What the data showsCruise at 34,000 ft; the drop starts at 05:21 GMT; a sharp climb and another descent follow; the jet settles around 15,000 ft by 05:33. The 7700 emergency code appears at 05:28 and 7500 at 05:35.

   What is not yet knownThe exact altitudes of the climb and second descent have not been published. Israeli officials link the plunge to an alleged attack in the cockpit; flydubai says the investigation is ongoing.

   Sources: Flightradar24; Unilad Tech (Flightradar24 data); flydubai; Israeli officials via Reuters. Chart not to scale in time: the minute of the drop is enlarged.

   Express InfoGenIE

3. 03

   Was a knife used in the cockpit?

   There are multiple reports of a knife being involved, but the details remain unverified. Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was aboard the flight, told Reuters that her daughter heard screaming and reported seeing a man with a knife force one of the pilots to the floor, with blood present. Reuters also reported that Israeli media published a photograph that appeared to show a passenger's blood-soaked shirt, but said it could not immediately verify the image.

   First images from @flydubai flight: one of the passengers with blood on his shirt https://t.co/zfJ4UsDeaO pic.twitter.com/XDLzuz0DbE

   — Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 30, 2026

   .

    

4. 04

   Did passengers help stop the person involved?

   Israeli media have reported that passengers intervened during the cockpit struggle. Channel 12 has also reported that there was a second group of pilots travelling as ordinary passengers who helped prevent one crew member from taking control of the aircraft. That specific claim has not been independently confirmed. What is independently reported is that a physical altercation involving the pilots occurred and that the plane subsequently diverted to Saudi Arabia.

5. 05

   Why did Israel scramble fighter jets?

   The aircraft transmitted emergency signals while travelling from Dubai towards Tel Aviv. Flight-tracking data showed a 7700 general-emergency signal followed by a 7500 signal indicating possible unlawful interference, a code commonly associated with hijacking. The aircraft also made a sharp descent and changed course towards Saudi Arabia. Those developments prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets and activate a major security response.

   WATCH: Moment the FLYDUBAI plane landed in Saudi Arabia safely pic.twitter.com/yDPuXgNlWb

   — Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 30, 2026

6. 06

   Was it actually a hijacking?

   The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking. An Israeli official told Reuters that the pilots had transmitted the emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation, although it was unclear whether either pilot had intentionally activated the signals. However, newer Israeli media reports are investigating the possibility that the cockpit violence involved an attempted takeover of the aircraft.

7. 07

   What happened when the plane landed in Saudi Arabia?

   The Boeing 737 diverted to Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia and landed safely. Associated Press reported that passengers remained aboard the aircraft after landing, with a heavy presence of Saudi security forces around the plane. Flydubai confirmed that FZ1073 had experienced an “incident”, landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were safe and accounted for.

8. 08

   What is still not known?

   Several crucial details remain under investigation -- what triggered the cockpit confrontation, who initiated the violence, whether a knife was used, whether one pilot deliberately attempted to take control of the aircraft, whether either pilot intentionally transmitted the 7500 signal, and what the motive may have been. Flydubai has not publicly explained the nature of the incident, saying only that it is working with the relevant authorities.