A flight operated by FlyDubai between Dubai and Tel Aviv narrowly escaped tragedy after one of the pilots stabbed a colleague with the intent to bring the aircraft down, triggering a steep descent before an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The sequence of events was detailed in a video message from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated that the pilot who injured the colleague intended to force the plane down. A passenger and a crew member managed to enter the cockpit and neutralize the aggressor. Another crew team aboard then managed to stabilize the flight, Netanyahu said.
“They avoided a massive disaster,” he said.
The assailant, whose identity has not been disclosed, is being interrogated by Saudi authorities.
Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia had previously said it received a distress call from flight FZ1073 at 8:44 a.m. local time, requesting an emergency landing. The aircraft landed about an hour later.
The dramatic landing, performed hundreds of miles away from its planned destination, occurred after a harrowing descent roughly two hours into the journey. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from Boeing Co. lost more than 14,000 feet (4,300 meters) of altitude in less than 30 seconds, approaching sonic speed. Subsequently, the aircraft climbed again and transmitted a general emergency signal, followed by an “unlawful interference” alert, typically associated with the possibility of a hijacking, according to data from Flightradar24.
After briefly entering Jordan’s airspace, the plane made a 180-degree turn before heading southwest toward Tabuk, according to the site.
Unverified photos of the aircraft after landing in Saudi Arabia showed the absence of the rudder on the vertical stabilizer, damage that can occur when flight-control surfaces are moved too aggressively at high speed.
The incident occurred as Netanyahu seeks re-election within weeks, promising to bolster the security of about 10 million Israeli citizens. The hijacking attempt could help attract undecided voters, though his main rivals also prioritize security and advocate continuing the fight against Iran and allied groups.
Netanyahu said that almost all the flight’s passengers were Israeli and that those involved in the intervention “demonstrated exceptional ingenuity and courage.”
“They saved many lives,” he said.
The airline said in a statement that “the reasons and motivations behind this event are unknown and remain subject to formal investigation.”
FlyDubai’s Boeing 737 MAX 8s normally carry about 174 passengers. The intervention by passengers and crew likely prevented a crash that would have ranked among the worst air disasters in recent years.
Pilot suicides are rare but have occurred on occasion. In 2015, a Germanwings-operated Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps after one of the pilots locked himself in the cockpit and steered the aircraft into a mountain, killing all 150 people on board. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared in 2014, is also widely considered a possible pilot suicide case, though the final cause has never been determined, as the aircraft has never been found.
Tabuk is located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, near the border with Jordan. FlyDubai said its teams are working in close cooperation with the competent authorities to determine the next steps.
A spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Transport said that authorities in the United Arab Emirates are working to repatriate Israelis who were detained in Saudi Arabia. The Israeli prime minister’s office also stated that “all measures are being taken to safely bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel.”
Aircraft hijackings have become increasingly rare in recent decades as governments developed international protocols and regulations to bolster air security. Israel has some of the world’s most stringent airport security measures following a string of hijacking attempts and cases in the 1970s.
FlyDubai, the Emirates sister airline, began regular daily flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai in late 2020 and has since expanded the operation to 70 weekly flights, according to the company. The United Arab Emirates has become a popular tourist destination for Israelis.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
