Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, that the incident involving a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was an attack attempt, adding that the person involved had “one objective: to crash the aircraft”. The airline has not announced a final conclusion on the incident’s motives and confirmed that the official investigation is continuing.
Flydubai flight diverted and lands in Tabuk
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport when a confrontation took place in the cockpit, prompting the aircraft to divert and make an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the city of Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai said members of its off-duty crews, who were travelling on the flight, managed to secure the aircraft, divert it and land safely in Tabuk. The airline confirmed that all passengers were safe and had been accounted for after landing, while more than 170 people were on board.
Tabuk Airport said its air traffic control unit received a distress call from the flight at 8:44 am local time requesting an emergency landing. It added that the aircraft’s captain and co-pilot were injured and taken to hospital for medical care, while the necessary services were provided to passengers inside the airport terminal and arrangements began to secure a replacement aircraft.
Netanyahu and Katz give accounts of attempt to bring down aircraft
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and, according to the Israeli account, attempted to bring down the aircraft with everyone on board. He added that a passenger and a member of the flight crew entered the cockpit and helped restrain the person accused of carrying out the attack, before other crew members managed to stabilise the aircraft’s course.
Katz said the incident was thwarted by the intervention of a number of Israeli passengers who entered the cockpit and restrained the suspect, then handed control of the aircraft back to an additional crew that was on board. These details remain part of the Israeli account, as no final findings have been issued on the causes or motives behind the confrontation.
Flydubai warns against speculation and sends replacement flights
Flydubai urged people to avoid speculation about the incident, saying it was too early to determine the underlying causes. It confirmed that it was working with the relevant authorities on the investigation and had sent replacement flights to Tabuk to return the passengers and crew members and allow them to complete their journey.
The emergency signals raised Israeli concerns that the flight might have been hijacked, prompting the Israeli Air Force to send fighter jets to monitor the situation before they turned back. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir also conducted an assessment of the incident with senior officers, while Israeli officials held security consultations over it.
US officials said the United States was coordinating with counterparts abroad over the incident, confirming that investigations were continuing and that they had received conflicting reports about what happened. The flight’s passengers later reached Tel Aviv on a replacement aircraft, while Flydubai announced a temporary suspension of its flights to and from Israel as the investigation continued.
