Flydubai Flight Incident: Passengers Land Safely At Ben Gurion After Mid-Air Scare

Flydubai Flight Incident: Passengers Land Safely At Ben Gurion After Mid-Air Scare

Passengers from a Flydubai flight have landed at Ben Gurion Airport following a reported incident aboard the aircraft that triggered a major scare during the journey. New footage shows the aircraft arriving and passengers reaching the airport after the tense episode. The incident has drawn attention to aviation security on the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv route amid heightened tensions across the Middle East. Authorities and passengers are now facing quest…

Passengers arrive in Israel after Flydubai flight onboard altercation

Passengers from a Flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit arrived on Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport, outside Tel Aviv, aboard another Flydubai flight, reported Xinhua. Israel's main television channels broadcast their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport live, where they were met by paramedics and social workers. Video footage from inside the plane after it landed sho…

BACK ON ISRAELI SOIL: 174 Flydubai Passengers Land at Ben Gurion After Midair Terror Scare and Emergency Saudi Landing

The 174 passengers caught up in the suspected terror attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 arrived safely at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening, completing an extraordinary journey that included a bloody cockpit struggle, a terrifying plunge, an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia and hours stranded in Tabuk. The replacement Flydubai aircraft touched down at Ben Gurion roughly an hour after leaving Saudi Arabia. As the jet entered Israeli airspace, Israeli Air Force fighter jets accompanied it on the final leg of the journey until it reached the airport. אחרי שעות של דרמה בשחקים: טיסת החילוץ מסעודיה נחתה בישראלhttps://t.co/1tQp7TE6jB@OrHeller | @NoganNir | @OfekTzach pic.twitter.com/9qsW1fsxeS — חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) September 30, 2026 The return flight initially faced another obstacle when several passengers, deeply shaken by what had happened earlier in the day, refused to board another Flydubai aircraft. They ultimately agreed to make the trip after Israeli security officials intervened and the Mossad vetted and approved the replacement crew. The replacement pilots were separately checked before departure, and passengers said they were reassured about their identities and backgrounds. Earlier reports identified the two replacement pilots as Australian and Ukrainian. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was expected at Ben Gurion Airport as the passengers returned, after spending much of the day receiving security updates and speaking personally with at least one of those who helped overpower the suspected attacker. The group had been in Saudi Arabia since FZ1073, originally traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was forced to divert to Tabuk following the violent incident inside the cockpit. Israeli officials remained in contact with Saudi authorities as passengers were questioned about what had occurred. Officials said none of the Israelis would be required to remain in Saudi Arabia for the investigation. The crisis began when the aircraft transmitted emergency signals indicating that something was seriously wrong aboard the plane. Among them was code 7500, the internationally recognized transponder signal for unlawful interference with an aircraft and a potential hijacking. Israeli authorities briefly lost contact with the jet, setting off an immediate security response. Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled while Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior security officials held emergency consultations. As information began emerging from passengers and Israeli officials, the episode took on a far more alarming character. According to Israel’s preliminary assessment, the copilot, described in Israeli reports as an Omani national, attacked and repeatedly stabbed the captain before apparently attempting to deliberately bring down the aircraft. Israeli officials said evidence increasingly indicated that the episode was an intentional terrorist attack rather than a mental-health-related incident. Saudi authorities and Flydubai have not publicly confirmed Israel’s characterization of the attack or the reported nationality and motive of the suspected attacker. The investigation is continuing, including an Israeli inquiry into how an Omani national was reportedly cleared to serve as a pilot aboard a flight bound for Israel. Passengers and crew members who heard screams and commotion coming from the cockpit rushed forward and forced their way into the confrontation. Several passengers helped overpower the alleged attacker and remove him from the cockpit, allowing other qualified pilots aboard the aircraft to take control. A senior Israeli official said afterward that “an extremely serious disaster was averted.” Among those who intervened was Tzvika Manes, CEO of Barak Capital Underwriting, who was traveling with his wife and young daughters. Manes said he and two other passengers entered the cockpit after his wife heard screaming and alerted another pilot sitting outside. “I’m covered in blood. It was insane,” he said. Manes later said the passengers had to use significant force to restrain the alleged attacker. With no handcuffs available, they improvised by using cables from the aircraft’s entertainment headphones to tie him up. Other passengers filmed the chaotic aftermath. One passenger, his face covered in blood, recorded a video while the aircraft was still preparing to make its emergency landing. “We have just taken control of the terrorists. We’re preparing to land. Anyone who can hear me, we need help.” Yitzhak Lieber, another passenger who was aboard the flight, described how the passengers reacted once they realized what was happening. “We took control here on the flight of the attacker with a knife who stabbed one of the pilots. We just jumped in, and a few of us got them out of the cockpit. Everything is fine now.” Footage recorded aboard the aircraft showed passengers guarding the cockpit entrance while medical professionals tended to the badly wounded captain. A doctor and nurse who happened to be aboard the flight provided emergency treatment and stabilized him after he suffered multiple stab wounds. Other qualified pilots aboard the aircraft stepped in after the alleged attacker was removed from the cockpit and helped bring the jet under control. The severity of the emergency was also visible in flight-tracking data. During the cockpit struggle, FZ1073 suddenly lost approximately 14,000 feet of altitude — about 4,200 meters — in an extremely short period, sending passengers tumbling and prompting fears that the aircraft was about to crash. The jet eventually established contact with Saudi authorities and diverted to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, where it landed safely. Saudi authorities took the suspected attacker into custody, while the wounded pilots were transported for medical treatment. The captain, identified in reports as Indian national Smit Machchhar, was described as having suffered multiple stab wounds. Netanyahu later said the alleged attacker had attempted to “crash the plane with everyone on board.” He praised the passengers and crew members who intervened, saying their actions prevented a catastrophe. “I salute these heroes, who displayed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage,” he said. “They saved many lives. They prevented a major disaster.” Defense Minister Katz described the episode as an “attempted jihadist terrorist attack,” saying Israel’s preliminary information indicated that the alleged attacker intended to bring down the plane with everyone aboard. Once FZ1073 was safely on the ground, attention shifted to extracting the Israelis from Saudi Arabia, which does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Israeli officials considered several possibilities for bringing the group home, including sending an Israeli aircraft to Tabuk. Flydubai ultimately dispatched a replacement jet, whose crew was vetted by Israeli security officials before passengers were asked to board. Some initially refused. After hours of uncertainty — and assurances from Israeli officials that the new crew had been examined and approved — the remaining holdouts agreed to make the trip. The replacement aircraft departed Tabuk Wednesday afternoon and, approximately an hour later, crossed into Israeli airspace under the watch of Israeli fighter jets. It then landed at Ben Gurion Airport, bringing all 174 passengers back to Israel and ending a journey that had begun that morning as a routine flight from Dubai. {Matzav.com}