Both pilots of a Flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia were injured and hospitalized, Tabuk Airport confirmed Wednesday, September 30. The announcement followed reports of a violent cockpit confrontation aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv service.
The airport operator said the aircraft landed at 9:45 a.m. local time in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia. The captain and first officer were taken to a hospital, although the statement did not explain how they sustained their injuries.
Flydubai, a low-cost airline based in the United Arab Emirates, confirmed that flight FZ1073 experienced an incident en route to Israel. The carrier said all passengers were safe and accounted for, without publicly detailing what happened inside the cockpit.
Israeli authorities were investigating whether the incident involved an attempt to attack Israeli passengers, an official told the Associated Press. That assessment remained under investigation, with no confirmed motive announced.
Passenger accounts added to concerns about the confrontation. The Wall Street Journal reported that a man identifying himself as a passenger described an attacker stabbing a pilot before others aboard removed the attacker from the cockpit. His account remained separate from the airport’s confirmed medical update.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said the aircraft transmitted a general emergency code, then a code indicating unlawful interference, before returning to the general emergency signal. The alerts prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets as authorities assessed the threat.
Tabuk Airport was coordinating with Flydubai to arrange a replacement aircraft, while Israel worked to bring its passengers home. The arrangements were still being finalized in the latest reports, with no confirmed departure announced.
