DUBAI, September 30, 2026 — Israeli authorities are treating the emergency diversion of a Flydubai passenger jet to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as a possible attempted terror attack, three Israeli officials said, after the Dubai carrier confirmed that a violent altercation in the flight deck forced its Dubai–Tel Aviv service to land at Tabuk Airport.
In an updated statement, Flydubai said “an altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073” while the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was en route from Dubai International to Ben Gurion Airport. “The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport,” the airline said, adding that all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for.
The carrier said it had deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to relieve the passengers and crew, and cautioned that “the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” urging all parties to refrain from premature speculation.
Israel Calls It a Suspected Terror Attack
The three Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief reporters, said Israel’s current assessment was that the incident was an attempted terror attack rather than any kind of mental-health episode involving the pilots. One official identified the suspected attacker as an Omani national, the South China Morning Post reported, while Israeli media described the other pilot as being from India — though neither the airline nor Saudi authorities have publicly confirmed the crew’s nationalities.
Accounts of what happened inside the cockpit remain fragmentary. The mother of one passenger told AFP that her daughter called from Saudi Arabia saying “one pilot tried to kill the other pilot with a knife,” adding that passengers heard shouting and saw blood. The operator of Tabuk Airport said both pilots were found with injuries after landing and were transported to hospital.
Israel’s hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described the incident as a terrorist attack, saying the pilot had planned to “crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held security consultations as the plane transmitted emergency signals, and Israeli media reported that fighter jets were scrambled as a precaution. The Prime Minister’s Office had earlier said the incident was “not believed to have been a hijacking,” describing it as a “different incident.”
Rescue Flights and Saudi Stance
A Flydubai rescue aircraft later landed in Tabuk to evacuate the passengers, who were expected to reach Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening, according to Israel’s Airports Authority. A source familiar with the matter told Haaretz that Saudi Arabia had declined a request to allow an Israeli military aircraft to land on its territory to carry out the rescue operation.
Saudi authorities have not publicly commented on the investigation. Saudi Arabia and Israel have no official diplomatic relations, and direct commercial flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv began only in 2020 following the Abraham Accords. Flight-tracking data showed the jet plunging more than 14,000 feet in under two minutes before stabilising and landing safely at Tabuk.
The incident unfolded against a tense backdrop in Israel, where a tightly contested election looms and the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks falls this week.
