A Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was redirected to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a violent episode involving two pilots that sparked worries of a potential hijacking.
The plane, operating as Flight FZ1073, touched down safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia after an emergency arose mid-flight.
Israeli officials claimed that one of the pilots allegedly stabbed the other and tried to seize control of the aircraft. Passengers and crew members stepped in and succeeded in restraining the pilot before the situation could worsen.
The circumstances and motive behind the incident remain under investigation. Flydubai has acknowledged that an incident took place on board but warned against speculating about its cause or motive.
Passengers step in during cockpit incident
According to Israeli officials, the aircraft underwent a sudden and severe loss of altitude during the incident.
The plane in question reportedly dropped thousands of metres within a short span, raising alarm among passengers and aviation authorities. Emergency signals were transmitted from the aircraft, including the internationally recognized 7700 emergency code, followed by 7500, which signals unlawful interference or a possible hijacking.
The unusual flight path and emergency signals led Israel to scramble fighter jets amid fears that the plane might have been hijacked.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that passengers and a crew member managed to get into the cockpit and restrain the pilot involved in the incident.
A second set of pilots who were also on board then took over and guided the plane to a safe landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Pilot and co-pilot injured
Both pilots were hurt during the altercation and were taken to hospital once the aircraft landed in Tabuk.
Israeli media and officials reported that the captain sustained serious injuries after allegedly being attacked with a knife. The identity and nationality of the pilots have also been reported differently by various outlets, though Israeli reporting identified the captain as an Emirati national and the co-pilot as an Omani national.
Saudi authorities detained the suspected attacker following the emergency landing and launched an investigation into the incident.
The motive behind the altercation has not yet been determined.
More than 170 passengers were on board
According to Israeli officials and international reports, the flight was carrying over 170 passengers, the majority of whom were Israeli nationals.
Even though the events on board were frightening, all passengers were reported to be safe.
Following several hours in Saudi Arabia, the passengers were then moved to a different Flydubai aircraft to continue their trip to Israel. The substitute flight ultimately left for Israel after the passengers had stayed on the ground for roughly eight hours.
Emergency landing in Saudi Arabia
After diverting from its planned route, the aircraft touched down at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, which makes the emergency landing especially noteworthy. Nevertheless, Israeli passenger planes have been permitted to make emergency landings in Saudi Arabia when the need arises.
Authorities at Tabuk airport confirmed that the plane landed safely and that the injured pilots were taken away for medical care.
Investigation underway
Israeli authorities are looking into the incident, with officials assessing whether the pilot’s actions constituted an attempted hijacking or a deliberate effort to crash the aircraft.
The Israeli government has also declared stricter security measures for flights entering Israel, such as additional screening of pilots flying for both Israeli and foreign airlines.
At this point, authorities have not publicly determined a definitive motive for the incident. Flydubai has stated that the causes of what happened are still unknown and are the subject of a formal investigation.
The incident has drawn considerable attention because of the aircraft’s rapid descent, the emergency hijacking signal, and the intervention by passengers and crew that enabled the flight to land safely.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia, Israel and other relevant jurisdictions are expected to keep reviewing the events that took place inside the cockpit before the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk.