www.jpost.com/international/article-910155
Israeli official says “major disaster avoided” after pilot stabbed his co-pilot, attempted to hijack aircraft with over 100 Israeli passengers • Israelis on board helped subdue would-be hijacker
A flydubai commercial passenger aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv
diverted to and landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning after what
Israeli officials said was an attempted hijacking by one of the pilots that led
to a mid-air altercation.
An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post a “major disaster was narrowly
avoided” amid growing fears that one of the pilots attempted to hijack the
plane with the intention of crashing it into the ground. Additional flight crew,
aided by Israelis on board the flight, managed to subdue the pilot and bring
him under control, the official told the Post.
The growing assessment among the Israeli security establishment,
including the IDF, Mossad, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), is that
the incident was intended as an act of terror.
As the incident unfolded, the Israel Air Force (IAF) scrambled fighter jets in
preparation for a possible emergency and raised its alert level, Walla
reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened a security
meeting with defense officials, the Post learned.
"The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being
deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel," the
Prime Minister's Office said following the consultations.
Israeli airspace was also temporarily closed and later reopened after the
plane landed in Saudi Arabia. It landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz
Airport, also known as Tabuk Airport, the airline confirmed.
Shortly before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the flydubai plane sent to return the
Israelis to Tel Aviv landed in Saudi Arabia, but most passengers refused to
board, citing concerns that neither the aircraft nor the pilot were Israeli,
eyewitnesses told The Jerusalem Post. The eyewitness added that the
atmosphere was generally fearful, with children crying.
Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir
were also considering the possibility of dispatching Israeli military or
civilian aircraft in order to bring the Israelis home, the Post learned.
Zamir canceled his planned trip to the US due to the ongoing situation.
Zamir was slated to meet with US Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.
Dan Caine and US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad
Cooper, the Post confirmed.
Israeli official: Pilot attempted to hijack aircraft, major disaster averted
Authorities were investigating what happened aboard the flight, including the identity and background of the pilot who allegedly stabbed the other pilot. It was reported that the altercation between the pilots, which later escalated to include Israeli passengers and the crew onboard, included the stabbing of one of the pilots.
An Israeli official said it remains unclear what the pilot was attempting to do - whether he intended to hijack the plane to Israel, crash it into the ground, or carry out a September 11-style attack. What is clear, the official said, is that he wanted to hijack the aircraft.
The official said authorities are still working to determine the identity of the pilot who carried out the stabbing. They are also investigating a suspicion that the pilot may be Middle Eastern.
The suspected terror hijacker is believed to be of Omani nationality,
according to initial investigations, Israeli sources told the Post.
Flydubai's deal with Israel to permit the airline to fly in and out of Ben-
Gurion Airport states that pilots must be from countries that have
normalized relations with Israel, a Transportation Ministry source told the
Post.
Oman does not have normalized relations with Israel.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev has requested that Shin Bet halt all flydubai flights entering and exiting the country, due to unconfirmed reports that the pilot responsible for the incident was of Omani origin.
A statement released by Tabuk airport confirmed that both the pilot and first officer were wounded in the incident and later transferred to hospital for medical treatment after the plane landed. The statement did not clarify the cause of their wounds.
Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said that her daughter had told her that she had heard screaming and that a man took a knife, put the pilot on the floor, and that there was blood everywhere.
Israelis rushed to stop suspected terrorist from stabbing pilot, force him out of cockpit, passenger tells 'Post'
An Israeli passenger aboard the flight told the Post that one pilot stabbed
another and tried to force him out of the cockpit as the aircraft began to
plunge.
The passenger said Israelis seated near the front rushed to the cockpit and fought the attacker while the plane was diving. Two other pilots seated at the back initially appeared to be in shock. “I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane,” the passenger said.
According to the passenger, the group managed to remove the attacker from the cockpit and get the two other pilots inside. One took control of the aircraft, while the other took longer to recover from the shock.
The passenger described the stabbed pilot as being in critical condition and said an Israeli dentist on board treated him and saved his life.
All passengers safe and accounted for, flydubai says
“Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben-Gurion Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route," flydubai said.
"The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU), and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” the airline added.
"The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU), and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” the airline added.
It is not the first time a flight between Israel and the UAE has landed in
Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency
landing in Riyadh in September 2025 due to a medical emergency, the
Post reported at the time.
Similar incidents elsewhere have led to immediate suspensions.
In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after physically confronting each other in the cockpit during a flight from Geneva to Paris.
Crew members had to separate them, and one of the pilots remained in the cockpit until landing. An even more serious incident occurred in 2009 on an Air India flight from Sharjah, UAE, to New Delhi, India, when pilots and crew members exchanged blows, and the altercation spilled over from the cockpit into the aircraft's galley. Two pilots and two crew members were suspended, and police launched an investigation.
Israel must 'address intent and not results,' Smotrich says
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was the first member of government to issue a statement, calling for Israel to “address the intent and not the results.”
“Whoever tried to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis must pay as if he murdered. He and every state or terrorist organization that sent him,” he wrote.
There is currently no evidence suggesting the suspected hijacker had backing from a foreign actor.
Shir Perets, Amir Bohbot, Eli Leon, and Reuters contributed to this report.
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