Israeli ministers call it terrorism after mid-flight pilot altercation forces emergency landing
A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia after a violent altercation broke out between its two pilots. Israeli officials are treating the incident as a possible act of terrorism while an investigation continues.
A Boeing 737 Max 8 operating flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing on Tuesday at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, carrying between 160 and 180 passengers.
About two and a half hours after departure, the aircraft transmitted a general emergency signal. As it flew over Jordanian airspace it diverted toward Saudi Arabia and sent a further signal indicating possible unlawful interference. Flight-tracking data showed the plane suddenly lost significant altitude before the first alert — reports vary between roughly 14,000 and 16,000 feet lost within seconds to a couple of minutes.
Israeli media reported that a fight broke out between the two pilots, with one seriously injured, including allegations of a stabbing, and that passengers rushed into the cockpit to subdue the attacker. These accounts have not been independently verified. Tabuk airport said the plane landed at 9.45am local time and that both the captain and co-pilot were taken to hospital with injuries.
The Israeli prime minister's office initially ruled out a hijacking attempt but later said the matter was under investigation, describing the overall situation as under control and stating that arrangements were being made to bring passengers to Israel. Local reports said fighter jets were scrambled amid fears of a hijacking.
Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, described the episode as a terrorist act and called for Israel to intensify its military campaigns across the region. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said anyone who attempted to kill 180 Israelis should be held accountable as if they had succeeded. Citing an unnamed official, the newspaper Haaretz reported the incident was being treated as terrorism, with suspicion that one pilot may have deliberately tried to crash the aircraft, though other scenarios are also being examined.
Flydubai confirmed the flight experienced an incident en route but said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
