Flydubai Flight Diverted to Saudi Arabia Following Pilot Stabbing Aboard
A flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv was diverted in an emergency following a fight between pilots in which one was stabbed. The aircraft landed in Tabuk with approximately 150 people on board.
Stabbed Pilot Forces Flydubai Flight Diversion to Saudi Arabia
A Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was diverted in an emergency to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following an alleged fight between the two pilots in which one was stabbed, according to El Deber citing Israeli officials.
Flight FZ1073 had departed Dubai International Airport that morning with approximately 150 people on board, mostly Israeli nationals. About two hours after departure, tracking portal Flightradar24 registered the activation of an emergency code. Minutes later, the signal escalated to a hijacking alert before being downgraded again to a general emergency code.
Israeli media, citing official representatives, indicated that one of the pilots allegedly stabbed the other during the flight before being restrained by passengers and crew.
Abrupt Descent and Panic Aboard
Flightradar24 tracking data, analysed by BBC Verify, shows the aircraft made a sharp descent over Saudi Arabia just over two hours after leaving Dubai. Just before 08:21 local time, the aircraft was flying at 10,400 metres altitude. In less than two minutes, it lost more than 5,200 metres of height. The records also reflect continuous altitude fluctuations during the remainder of the journey until landing at Tabuk airport in northeastern Saudi Arabia.
A passenger recounted to Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom that the moment was "very distressing". "We understood that the pilots had lost control," she said, recalling the screams of terror on board. She added that one of the pilots suffered severe stab wounds before the attacker was subdued. "There are people here with blood-covered shirts," she stated. "Now we are well and we want to go home," she added, in an account that the BBC has not been able to independently confirm.
Yasmin Abukasis told Reuters news agency that her daughter Miriam was on the flight and that she heard screaming on board. According to her account, a man armed with a knife had forced one of the pilots to the ground whilst there was blood in the cabin. "The aircraft started to lose control. Then all the passengers screamed, they thought they were going to crash," Abukasis said to the AP news agency from Ben Gurion airport, where the flight was scheduled to land. She added to Reuters that two other pilots had taken control of the aircraft whilst some passengers lunged at the armed man.
Israeli Response and Repatriation Pending
The Israeli air force deployed fighter jets in response to the incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations and issued a statement in which he affirmed that the situation is under control and that efforts are being made to repatriate Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia.
Flight FZ1073 was supposed to land at Ben Gurion airport but ended up landing in Tabuk. The authorities have not disclosed the precise causes that motivated the diversion or the full details of the incident to date.
A Flydubai spokesperson confirmed that the flight "experienced an incident during the journey" and announced that updates will be published as more information becomes available. "Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities," the spokesperson stated.
Source: El Deber