Passengers and crew on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv overpowered a co-pilot after he allegedly stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft, Israeli officials said.
Flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 people when the incident occurred. The aircraft reportedly plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds as the struggle unfolded.
Passengers and crew entered the cockpit and restrained the co-pilot, allowing two other flydubai pilots who were travelling on the aircraft to take control.
The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
More than 10 hours later, the passengers reached Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport aboard a replacement flydubai aircraft.
Several passengers described the incident as a miracle after a frantic struggle to prevent what could have been a major disaster.
“I just can say that it was a miracle. It was awful, crazy, and we thank God that we survived it, we didn’t think we will make it but thank God we are in Israel. We are back home. And we are happy to see everyone here,” passenger Lital Shachaf said.
Israel’s ambulance service said a 51-year-old man was taken to hospital with upper-body injuries and was in a “mild condition”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as “a serious security incident” and said Saudi authorities would question the co-pilot.
Flydubai said the reasons behind the incident remained unknown and warned against “premature speculation”.
An Israeli official identified the co-pilot as an Omani national. Oman has not immediately commented.
Israeli officials praised the passengers who intervened during the incident. Netanyahu said most of the 174 people on board were Israeli nationals.
US President Donald Trump said he spoke “at length” with Netanyahu about the incident.
He later told reporters at the Oval Office: “This is the story that I heard — I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story that I got from Bibi (Netanyahu).”
According to Netanyahu’s office, the wounded captain, identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was covered in blood when he managed to release the cockpit door.
Passengers who entered the cockpit reportedly found the co-pilot striking the aircraft’s control panel.
“This is something you do without thinking, just running to save your daughter’s life, your family’s life,” said passenger Asaf Rajuan, who helped restrain the attacker.
Rajuan had a bloodied forehead following the struggle.
Netanyahu’s office released a video of the prime minister at Ben Gurion Airport embracing another passenger, Yaniv Hayun, who his office said “broke into” the cockpit.
“I see you and I see a lion – a big hero,” Netanyahu told Hayun, who was still wearing the blood-stained shirt he had worn during the incident.
Flydubai operates daily return flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route frequently used by Israeli nationals. The normal flight path passes through Saudi and Jordanian airspace.
It is not the first time a flight travelling between Israel and the UAE has diverted to Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 following a medical incident, according to Israeli media.
Tabuk airport said both pilots were hospitalised after sustaining injuries.
The incident has prompted Israel to tighten security checks on pilots operating flights into the country.
“Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots’ identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check,” Doron Spielman, a Netanyahu spokesperson, told Reuters.
Israeli media published conflicting accounts of the incident, with some reports saying a pilot had attempted to crash the aircraft in an alleged suicide attempt.
Reports also differed over the nationalities of the pilots, with some outlets initially identifying them as Omani and Emirati nationals, while others said they were Russian and Ukrainian.
The incident comes as security remains a major issue in Israel ahead of the country’s first election since the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks.
Responding to the incident on X, Israeli far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote: “Terrorism is a devil with whom no agreement must be reached”.
Netanyahu had met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday during a rare visit to the Gulf country.
Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations under the Abraham Accords in 2020 and have since developed security, military and economic ties.
The UAE government has not commented on the incident.
Dubai’s state-owned airline said an “altercation” occurred in the cockpit before the aircraft diverted to Tabuk and landed safely.
The UAE’s aviation regulator, the GCAA, said the flight “experienced a security incident that was brought under control”.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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