flydubai has confirmed that an altercation took place on the flight deck of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, forcing the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia. Passengers have since described screaming, blood and a terrifying sudden descent as crew and travellers responded to the extraordinary mid-air emergency.
The aircraft, A6-FKF, was operating from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) when the incident occurred.
FZ1073 subsequently diverted to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia, where the aircraft landed safely.
In its latest statement, flydubai confirmed for the first time that the emergency had involved an altercation inside the cockpit.
The airline also said on-duty flydubai crew aboard the flight secured the aircraft, which then landed safely in Tabuk.
All passengers and crew were confirmed safe and accounted for.
Two replacement flydubai aircraft have since been dispatched to Tabuk to relieve the passengers and crew involved in the incident. The airline said the incident had not affected its other scheduled operations.
flydubai added that the reasons and motives behind what happened remain unknown and are now under formal investigation, urging against speculation while authorities establish the facts.
Aircraft suddenly plunges from cruising altitude
Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai at approximately 03:05 UTC – 07:05 local time – and climbed normally to a cruising altitude of 34,000ft.
Around two-and-a-half hours into the flight, however, something went seriously wrong.
Flightradar24 data shows that at approximately 05:21 UTC the Boeing entered a sudden and exceptionally rapid descent.
The aircraft subsequently climbed sharply before descending again and eventually stabilising at around 15,000 feet.
Reuters, citing flight-tracking data, reported that the Boeing appeared to lose almost 14,000ft in less than 30 seconds during part of the event.
Its altitude and groundspeed continued to fluctuate as the emergency developed.
Passengers have since described the terrifying effect the manoeuvres had inside the cabin.
Several reported hearing screaming from the front of the aircraft before the jet suddenly descended, leaving those onboard uncertain about what was happening.
Passengers describe screams from cockpit
First-hand accounts emerging from FZ1073 have provided a dramatic picture of the confusion inside the passenger cabin.
Yasmin Abukasis, whose daughter Miriam was travelling aboard the flight, said her daughter heard screaming before witnessing a man holding a knife forcing one of the pilots onto the floor.
She also described seeing blood.
Another Israeli passenger told The Jerusalem Post that one pilot had stabbed the other during the confrontation.
The passenger said people seated towards the front of the aircraft rushed forward as the Boeing descended and became involved in restraining the alleged attacker.
Another passenger, identified as Meital, said someone shouted that a stabbing had occurred, prompting her husband to move towards the front of the aircraft and assist others responding to the incident.
Passengers have described seeing significant amounts of blood and the considerable distress among those onboard.
One video, reportedly filmed onboard the aircraft, showed a bloodied man speaking to a camera as the aircraft approached Saudi Arabia, saying that those onboard had subdued the person or people they believed were responsible and appealing for assistance.
Passengers and flydubai crew ‘secured the aircraft’
The airline has now confirmed that flydubai flight crew travelling aboard FZ1073 were directly involved in responding to the incident. in a satatement the carrier cinfirmed: “On-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight secured the aircraft, which then landed safely in Tabuk.”
According to one passenger interviewed by The Jerusalem Post, travellers urged the pilots to go to the flight deck after the alleged attacker had been restrained.
The passenger claimed that one subsequently entered the cockpit and took control of the aircraft.
flydubai’s latest statement does not specify who ultimately flew the Boeing to Tabuk, nor does it provide a detailed sequence of how control of the flight deck was restored.
Reuters, citing Israeli officials, also reported that cabin crew entered the cockpit and became involved in bringing the situation under control.
What individual crew members did remains under investigation.
Injured pilot treated onboard
Reports have claimed that an Israeli dentist travelling aboard the aircraft provided emergency treatment to the injured pilot following the stabbing.
The passenger described the pilot’s condition as serious and credited the onboard medical assistance with helping him survive. The precise condition of either pilot has not been officially disclosed.
Saudi authorities have, however, confirmed that both the captain and first officer sustained injuries and were transferred to hospital following the emergency landing at Tabuk.
flydubai has not publicly identified either pilot.
Aircraft transmits emergency code 7700
As the incident was unfolding, the aircraft began transmitting emergency signals that immediately attracted the attention of air traffic controllers.
At 0528:48 UTC, according to Flightradar24, FZ1073 began squawking 7700 while flying close to the border between Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Squawk 7700 is the internationally recognised transponder code for a general emergency.
The aircraft was already experiencing significant altitude fluctuations by the time that code was selected.
Then, at approximately 0535 UTC, the situation escalated further. FZ1073 changed its transponder to 7500, which indicates unlawful interference with an aircraft.
It is commonly associated with hijacking or other situations in which someone may be attempting to seize control of an aircraft.
The Boeing briefly entered Jordanian airspace before making an approximately 180-degree turn and heading south-west towards Tabuk.
It later returned to squawk 7700 as it approached the Saudi airport. Flightradar24’s final ADS-B signal from the aircraft was recorded at 0658 UTC following its safe arrival at Tabuk.
It remains unclear who selected either emergency code.
Was this an attempted hijacking?
Despite the aircraft transmitting the 7500 unlawful-interference code, exactly what happened inside the cockpit remains under investigation.
Early reports were contradictory.
An Israeli official initially told Reuters that the pilots had become involved in a physical altercation.
Around the time the aircraft landed, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said authorities did not believe it was a hijacking and described it as a “different incident”.
Later, three Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was investigating whether the incident represented an attempted attack.
The officials alleged that the co-pilot had stabbed the captain, while one identified the alleged attacker as an Omani national.
Those claims have not been confirmed by flydubai or Saudi investigators.
Other early reports provided conflicting accounts of the pilots’ nationalities, who attacked whom and the possible motive behind the incident.
Some reports also alleged that one pilot had deliberately attempted to crash the aircraft.
Again, the airline and investigators have not established that allegation.
flydubai’s latest statement is particularly significant in this respect.
While confirming that an altercation occurred on the flight deck, the airline said: “At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”
Therefore, while the physical confrontation inside the cockpit can now be regarded as confirmed, claims of an attempted hijacking, terror attack or deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft remain allegations rather than facts.
Israeli fighter jets scrambled
The transmission of squawk 7500 also triggered a major security response as FZ1073 was travelling towards Israel.
Israeli fighter aircraft were scrambled while authorities assessed the potential threat posed by the approaching Boeing.
The aircraft ultimately turned away from Israel and headed towards Saudi Arabia.
Senior Israeli officials held security consultations as the situation developed, while the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office subsequently announced that the situation was “under control”.
Investigation now underway
Many important questions about FZ1073 remain unanswered. But The latest flydubai statement answers one of the biggest questions surrounding FZ1073 by confirming that an altercation did take place on the flight deck.
It also confirms that other on-duty flydubai crew travelling aboard the aircraft intervened and secured the Boeing before its safe arrival in Saudi Arabia.
However, many significant questions remain.
Investigators will need to establish exactly how the confrontation began, the sequence of events inside the cockpit, who selected the emergency transponder codes and how control of the aircraft was ultimately recovered.
They will also need to determine what caused the dramatic changes in altitude and establish the motive behind the confrontation.
The identity and nationality of the pilots involved have not been officially confirmed by flydubai, while allegations of an attempted terrorist attack or deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft remain unverified.
What can now be established is that a serious altercation occurred on the flight deck of flydubai flight FZ1073; the Boeing underwent a dramatic change in altitude; it transmitted both general-emergency and unlawful-interference codes; both pilots were injured and hospitalised; other flydubai crew travelling aboard secured the aircraft; and the flight subsequently landed safely in Tabuk with everyone onboard accounted for.
flydubai says it is supporting the official investigation and has urged against speculation until authorities have established the circumstances and motives behind the incident.
This is a developing story and will be updated as further verified information becomes available.
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