FILE PHOTO: Israeli tourists leave a FlyDubai plane which departed from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 8, 2020.
Malak Harb/AP Photo
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia Wednesday morning, September 30, 2026, after an incident took place inside the cockpit, an Israeli security source disclosed.
Passengers told Israeli media that a pilot on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was stabbed before the plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
The airport where the plane landed says both the captain and first officer sustained injuries – but does not say how. Both have been taken to hospital, it added.
Yasmin Abukasis said her daughter, who was on board, heard screaming as a pilot called for help.
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Another told journalists that passengers helped tackle one of the pilots and tie him down, writes our reporter in Jerusalem.
The Flydubai plane – which set off early on Wednesday – signalled an emergency code two hours into the flight, tracking website Flightradar24 said.
It then switched to a hijacking code but later returned to a general emergency signal – Israeli officials told local media that “a very serious disaster was averted”.
An Israeli security source confirmed to ABC News that there was a violent altercation on the flight and that Israel is investigating the incident as a potential terror incident.
The flight landed in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, after being diverted.
Israeli Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a post to X that Netanyahu “held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments.”
“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” Netanyahu’s office added.
The flight, which was carrying mostly Israeli passengers, took off at 7:05 a.m. local time from Dubai, according to Flightradar24.
Tracking data showed the aircraft descended rapidly from 34,000 to 16,000 feet in three minutes.
About 10 minutes after the initial descent, the plane’s squawk code — used by aircraft to communicate with air traffic control — changed to “general emergency.” Seven minutes after that, the squawk code changed again, indicating a hijacking or “unlawful interference.”
The aircraft then continued to fly lower at 15,000 feet on average until it landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, about an hour to an hour and a half after the rapid descent began and the emergency signals were sent.
FlyDubai confirmed that the flight “experienced an incident while en route,” and landed in Tabuk.
An Israeli security source confirmed to ABC News that the Israel Defense Forces recommended that a military aircraft be sent to repatriate Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia.
(Reports by BBc and ABC News)
