Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that the pilot of the flydubai flight has been arrested by the Saudi Arabian authorities. According to The Indian Express, an Indian national was the captain of a flydubai flight who reportedly fought with his co-pilot during a violent cockpit brawl.
Earlier, quoting three Israeli officials, The Indian Express reported that the co-pilot stabbed the captain in a possible attempted “terror attack”. This incident forced the plane to divert to Saudi Arabia where it landed safely.
Reuters reported that the cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, which diverted to Saudi Arabia as it flew over Jordanian airspace. One of the officials identified the attacker as an Omani national.
Meanwhile, a second flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned back towards Dubai, shortly after another Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an apparent altercation between its two pilots, The Indian Express reported, quoting Reuters. The reason for the second flight’s change in course was not immediately clear.
The development came after flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an apparent physical altercation between the pilots triggered emergency signals. The incident briefly raised fears of a possible hijacking.
According to The Indian Express, FZ1073 landed safely at Tabuk Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia, with all passengers and crew safe. The incident prompted a major security response in Israel, with fighter jets scrambled after authorities received an emergency signal from the aircraft. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also held an urgent security consultation.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office later said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking.
According to The Indian Express, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported that the aircraft was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, and that the emergency was apparently triggered by a physical altercation between the two pilots.
Second flydubai flight turns back
A second flydubai flight, FZ1081, operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was also reported to have changed course on Wednesday.
The Indian Express, quoting Reuters, reported that FZ1081 turned around and headed back towards Dubai. The reason for the diversion was not immediately clear.
The development came shortly after FZ1073 made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia following the reported altercation between its pilots.
Flight sent emergency and hijack signals
According to flight-tracking information cited by The Indian Express, FZ1073 took off from Dubai International Airport at around 03:05 UTC.
The aircraft’s transponder code changed to 7700 at around 05:31 UTC, indicating a general emergency. About seven minutes later, the code changed to 7500, the international code used to indicate unlawful interference and commonly associated with a hijacking.
The aircraft subsequently changed course while flying towards Israel and diverted towards Saudi Arabia.
According to The Indian Express, flight-tracking data showed that the aircraft later left ground-based coverage, with its signal subsequently received through satellite tracking before the final signal was recorded near Tabuk Regional Airport.
The aircraft ultimately landed safely in Tabuk.
Pilot brawl reportedly behind emergency
Quoting Ynet, The Indian Express reported that the emergency was apparently linked to a physical confrontation between the two pilots.
Reuters, as cited by The Indian Express, also reported that an Israeli official said the emergency signals followed a physical altercation between the pilots.
The exact circumstances surrounding the confrontation were not immediately clear.
Israel scrambled fighter jets
The emergency code 7500 initially led Israeli authorities to consider the possibility of a hijacking.
According to The Indian Express, Israeli authorities scrambled fighter jets while trying to establish what was happening aboard the aircraft.
Three Israeli security officials told Reuters, as reported by The Indian Express, that Netanyahu was holding security consultations following the diversion.
#WATCH | Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "This morning, there was a serious security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel. Almost all the passengers on the flight were Israelis. During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second… pic.twitter.com/hbR7xCNSjO
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2026
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir also conducted a situation assessment with the commander of the Israeli Air Force.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office later said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking.
Passengers describe chaotic scenes
According to The Indian Express, a passenger aboard the flight told Israeli television channel Channel 12 that passengers heard screams inside the aircraft before the cockpit door was opened.
The passenger claimed that blood was visible and that one of the pilots had apparently been stabbed with a pocketknife. She also said Israeli passengers and members of the crew helped restrain an attacker.
Another passenger, identified as Noam, reportedly described hearing screams and said passengers believed one of the pilots had been seriously injured.
These passenger accounts have not independently established the exact sequence of events inside the cockpit. The Indian Express reported that the circumstances surrounding the incident were still being investigated.
What do the emergency codes mean?
The sequence of transponder signals was a key reason the incident initially triggered fears of a hijacking.
Code 7700 is used by aircraft to indicate a general emergency, while code 7500 indicates unlawful interference, including a hijacking situation.
According to The Indian Express, the aircraft first transmitted 7700 and subsequently changed the code to 7500 before diverting towards Saudi Arabia.
The use of the latter code prompted Israeli authorities to respond to the situation as a potential security threat while they attempted to establish what was happening aboard the aircraft.
(This is a developing story.)