Flydubai FZ1073: Israel Says the Co-Pilot Stabbed the Captain and Tried to Crash the Jet Before It Landed in Tabuk

Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, after what the airline called “an altercation” in the flight deck. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot stabbed the captain and “apparently tried to crash the plane” before passengers and crew overpowered him.

The jet broadcast the emergency code 7700 and then 7500, the code for unlawful interference, and Israel scrambled fighter jets.

In the first hours, The Times of Israel reported that a hijacking had been ruled out, citing Israeli security sources who blamed an altercation between the pilots. The stabbing accounts that emerged later overtook that version.

What the Airline and the Authorities Have Confirmed

In its second statement, flydubai said the aircraft “was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight,” who diverted and landed it safely at Tabuk. It said the reasons and motives were unknown and urged “all parties to refrain from premature speculation.”

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority called it “a security incident that was brought under control,” according to its statement carried by Emirates 24|7. It said some crew members were injured and taken to a hospital in Saudi Arabia, and that its investigators are reviewing the operational and security aspects.

Cluster2 Airports, which runs Tabuk’s airport, said the captain and co-pilot were both hospitalized, according to the Saudi Gazette. It put the distress call at 8:44 a.m. and the landing at 9:45 a.m. local time.

The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 registered A6-FKF, Calcalist reported, citing Flightradar24. Ynetnews put the number on board at 174 passengers, including 27 children, bound for Ben Gurion Airport.

What the Flight Data Shows

Flightradar24 says the jet was cruising at 34,000 feet when it began a steep descent, then a sharp climb, then a second sharp descent. It settled at about 15,000 feet roughly 12 minutes later.

The times below are Saudi local time, converted from Flightradar24’s UTC times, plus the two times the airport operator gave.

Outlets reading the same tracking data put the first plunge at roughly 16,000 to 17,400 feet in one to two minutes. Netanyahu told CNN the aircraft went into a nosedive and its rudder and tail were damaged, according to The Jerusalem Post.

What Israeli Officials and Passengers Say

Netanyahu named the stabbed captain as Indian national Smit Machchhar and said that, though seriously injured, he opened the cockpit door so others could overpower the attacker, the BBC reported. India’s embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was in stable condition in a hospital.

Passenger Yaniv Hayun told Netanyahu at Ben Gurion that he put the attacker in a chokehold, pulled him out of the cockpit and pulled back on the controls until a pilot took over, Ynetnews reported. Hayun said the attacker had been trying to destroy the instruments.

Netanyahu said the co-pilot is an Omani national who was arrested and questioned in Saudi Arabia, and that he expected him to be moved to the UAE. He said UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed had agreed that Israel would join the questioning.

Defense Minister Israel Katz called it an “attempted jihadist terror attack” without giving details. A spokesperson for the Saudi embassy in the US told NBC News that authorities were still working out whether it was a dispute between the pilots or an attack sponsored by Iran or the Houthis.

Why the Transponder Read 7500

A transponder squawk code is a four-digit number set in the cockpit so radar can identify a flight. The FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual lists 7700 for an emergency and 7500 for a hijacking, which its procedures call unlawful interference.

The code describes what is happening to the aircraft, not who is responsible. Under that US procedure, a controller who sees 7500 asks the pilot to verify it, and if the pilot confirms or does not reply, the controller asks nothing further and notifies the authorities.

Hardened cockpit doors are built to keep a threat in the cabin out of the flight deck. On FZ1073, by the accounts so far, the threat was already inside, and the door had to be opened from within before passengers could reach it.

Israel’s Response and the Flight Suspension

Saudi Arabia refused to let Israeli aircraft collect the passengers, an Israeli official told CNN. Flydubai sent two replacement aircraft to Tabuk, and the passengers reached Tel Aviv at about 6:40 p.m. local time, according to the BBC.

Israel suspended flydubai flights to Ben Gurion for six days, a ban that could be extended, Ynetnews reported. Transportation Minister Miri Regev argued that the Israel-UAE aviation agreement allows only pilots from countries with diplomatic ties to Israel to land there, and Oman has none.

Flydubai, which Ynetnews says flies up to 10 times a day to Israel, said in a third statement that it was suspending flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues. Emirates also suspended its codeshare flights to Tel Aviv, Gulf News reported.

The UAE has since agreed to Israel’s security demands for Israeli carriers, Globes reported, and El Al said it is preparing to restart Tel Aviv to Dubai flights in November, pending approvals. The GCAA has said its findings will be made public once issued.