Flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after cockpit knife attack

Flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 passengers including 27 children, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv when a violent altercation erupted in the cockpit. According to passenger accounts and Israeli media reports, the co-pilot, identified as an Omani national, stabbed the captain, a UAE citizen, with a small knife. The struggle caused the aircraft to plummet from 33,000 to 17,000 feet in a rapid, erratic descent before the captain and others regained control.

The crew transmitted emergency code 7700 followed by code 7500, signaling unlawful interference, which triggered the scrambling of Israeli fighter jets. The plane diverted to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot for questioning while Israeli officials investigate whether the incident was a terror attempt or a psychological episode.

“If those pilots had not been on the plane, the incident could have ended in a new attack like 9/11 or a hostage crisis like Entebbe.”

Passengers described screams, blood in the cockpit, and prayers as the plane dropped. Several Israeli passengers and two off-duty pilots traveling in civilian clothes helped subdue the attacker and force open the cockpit door. One passenger reported hearing shouts of "stabbing" before her husband rushed forward to help restrain the co-pilot.

Flydubai confirmed an incident occurred and that all passengers and crew were accounted for after the safe landing. Israeli, Saudi, and Emirati authorities have not released official findings. A senior Israeli official stated that without the intervention of the extra pilots and passengers, the incident could have resulted in a catastrophe comparable to 9/11 or the Entebbe crisis.