Flydubai Co-Pilot Arrested After Cockpit Stabbing as Flight Plunges With 174 Passengers Including 27 Children

Saudi authorities reportedly detained a Flydubai co-pilot after an alleged cockpit stabbing on an Israel-bound flight from Dubai, according to Israeli officials. Flight FZ1073 diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where both pilots suffered injuries and received hospital treatment.

The Boeing 737 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on 30 September when the emergency unfolded. Flydubai confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and said on-duty crew travelling on the aircraft secured it before diverting and landing safely in Tabuk, with all passengers and crew accounted for.

The airline said the reasons and motives behind the confrontation remain unknown and are subject to a formal investigation. It urged against premature speculation while authorities establish the facts.

Netanyahu Alleges Cockpit Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi authorities had arrested and were questioning the suspected attacker. He alleged that the co-pilot stabbed the captain and 'apparently tried to crash the plane', an account not independently confirmed by Flydubai; Saudi authorities have confirmed injuries and an investigation but have not publicly detailed the alleged attack.

Israeli officials said passengers subdued the suspected attacker and that other pilots travelling on the aircraft landed it safely. Flydubai has confirmed only that on-duty crew secured the aircraft before it was diverted and landed in Tabuk.

Tabuk Airport said the captain and co-pilot suffered injuries and received hospital treatment. Their medical conditions have not been made public, and no formal criminal charge had been publicly reported at the time of publication.

Flight FZ1073 Sent Emergency Signals

Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft broadcasting a general emergency signal before briefly transmitting a transponder code associated with unlawful interference, then returning to a general emergency signal. The code does not itself establish that a hijacking occurred, and Flydubai has not described the event as one.

The Boeing 737 then underwent a rapid and substantial loss of altitude before recovering and diverting to Tabuk. Investigators have not publicly established the precise scale, timing and cause of the descent.

Flight-tracking data shows the emergency signals and sharp descent, indicators that analysts say point to the severity of the disruption, although investigators have not publicly reconstructed the sequence inside the cockpit. Flydubai has said only that crew travelling on the flight secured the aircraft and landed it safely.

Passengers Describe Intervention

Passengers gave accounts of people intervening during a struggle in the cockpit. One passenger said those involved had 'taken control of the flight' from 'an assailant with a knife', while the airline's public statement does not describe the confrontation in detail.

The reported involvement of other pilots matches the account Israeli officials gave, but Flydubai has not publicly identified who was at the controls. The full circumstances of the intervention remain part of the official investigation.

Israeli authorities were assessing whether the incident could amount to an attempted 'terror attack'. Netanyahu called it a 'highly severe security incident' and said Saudi authorities had arrested the alleged attacker, while Flydubai said the motive remains unknown and under formal investigation.

Flight FZ1073 diverted safely to Tabuk after an altercation in the flight deck, and both pilots were taken to hospital with injuries. The allegation that the detained co-pilot stabbed the captain or tried to crash the aircraft, along with the motive and any potential charges, remains under investigation.