A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday after a co-pilot's attempt to crash the plane was thwarted by passengers and crew. The co-pilot stabbed the pilot, causing the aircraft to plummet nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. The incident occurred on flight FZ1073, which had 174 people on board, mostly Israeli nationals.
Passengers and crew entered the cockpit, overpowered the co-pilot, and enabled a second pair of flydubai pilots who were on board to land the plane safely. The passengers arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport more than 10 hours later on a replacement aircraft, recounting a frantic struggle to prevent a catastrophe. Several described the episode as a miracle.
Israeli officials said the attacker's motive remained under investigation. The incident has sharpened concerns about global aviation security in a region scarred by years of conflict. Israel has tightened checks on pilots flying into the country. The incident occurred two years after Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed the Abraham Accords normalizing relations.
Passenger Lital Shachaf described the event as "awful, crazy" and expressed gratitude for surviving. An Israeli official identified the co-pilot as an Omani national, but there was no immediate comment from Oman. Israel's ambulance service said a 51-year-old man was taken to an Israeli hospital with injuries to his upper body and was in a "mild condition."
Israeli officials applauded the passengers, crediting them with avoiding a more serious disaster. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot. Flydubai warned against "premature speculation" about the incident, saying the underlying reasons remained unknown.
US President Donald Trump spoke with Netanyahu about the incident and gave a detailed account of what happened. Netanyahu's spokesperson described the wounded captain, Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, who was covered in blood when he managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers who entered the cockpit found the co-pilot bashing at the plane's control panel.
One passenger, Asaf Rajuan, who helped restrain the attacker, described his actions as "something you do without thinking, just running to save your daughter's life, your family's life." Netanyahu's office released a video showing the prime minister hugging a passenger at Ben Gurion Airport.
Key points
- Passengers and crew foiled a co-pilot's attempt to crash a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- The incident has raised concerns about global aviation security in the region.
- Passengers have been credited with avoiding a more serious disaster.
