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Flydubai Flight 1073

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Flydubai Flight 1073
A6-FKF, the aircraft involved in the incident, photographed in January 2026
Incident
Date30 September 2026 (2026-09-30)
SummarySuspected hijacking attempt;
under investigation
Site
  • Saudi Arabian airspace, near the Jordanian border
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 737 MAX 8
OperatorFlydubai
IATA flight No.FZ1073
ICAO flight No.FDB1073
Call signSKYDUBAI 1073
RegistrationA6-FKF
Flight originDubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
DestinationBen Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel
Occupants180
Passengers174
Crew6
Fatalities0
Injuries6+
Survivors180

Flydubai Flight 1073 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight operated by Flydubai from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel on 30 September 2026. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 broadcast the squawk code for hijacking, diverted from its flight path, and made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

According to passenger reports, the first officer stabbed the captain during the flight in an apparent attempt to hijack the plane, but was overwhelmed and restrained by passengers and crew. Other Flydubai pilots on board then landed the plane in Tabuk. The incident is currently under investigation by law enforcement agencies from several countries, including Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States.[1][2][3]

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the incident was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered A6-FKF. The plane entered service with Flydubai on 21 December 2022. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was approximately three years and nine months old.[4]

Passengers and crew

There were 174 passengers and six crew members onboard.[5]

The crew consisted of two pilots: an Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, who was the pilot flying, and an Omani first officer acting as pilot monitoring.[6]

Middle Eastern conflict

The ongoing conflict across the Middle East (2023–present) led several Western airline carriers to cut their routes to Israel, though the UAE continued to provide daily flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai.[7] On 29 September, the day before Flydubai Flight 1073, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly stated that he had received "indications" that Israel might be attacked ahead of the upcoming legislative election on 27 October. Political opponents dismissed the vague, detail-less warning as fearmongering.[8] Opposition leader Yair Lapid was briefed on the matter, after which he denounced Netanyahu's warning and insisted there was no reason to panic.[9] Lapid later stated that "Nothing even remotely resembling [the Flydubai Flight 1073] incident came up in the security briefing. ... Nothing similar, nothing reminiscent of it, not even a hint."[10]

Incident

Flight 1073 departed from Dubai at 7:05 a.m. (GST) carrying 174 passengers—approximately 150 of them Israeli citizens[11]—and 6 crew members.[12][13] While flying near the Jordan–Saudi Arabia border at around 9:21 a.m.,[14] it plunged from an altitude of approximately 34,000 ft (10,000 m) to 17,000 ft (5,200 m) in less than a minute.[15][16] The plane briefly rose to 21,750 ft (6,600 m), before descending again to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) and turning back into Saudi airspace.[11][17] Shortly after the initial dive, the aircraft's transponder broadcasted squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency, and shortly thereafter broadcasted code 7500, which designates "unlawful interference" or a hijacking.[18]

Based on initial assessments by authorities and video and eyewitness accounts from passengers, the first officer stabbed the captain, Smit Machchhar, in an alleged attempt to hijack or crash the aircraft. After being wounded, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. The sound of the struggle inside alerted a passenger waiting for the nearby lavatory. She informed a flight attendant and her husband Tzvika Manes, sitting in the front row, who then saw Machchhar fall out of the cockpit with the first officer "on top of him, stabbing him" as the plane began to dive.[19][20]

Manes then entered the cockpit along with one of the off-duty pilots and other passengers, including Yaniv Hayun, Shota Musaev and Asaf Rajuan.[20] They overpowered the first officer, who was allegedly attempting to disable or damage the flight controls, and removed him from the cockpit.[21] Hayun, a plumber, stated that he pulled back on the yoke to level the plane based on having watched the Canadian docudrama series Mayday.[22] The off-duty pilot then took over.[13][20][23][24] The first officer was restrained with wired headphones while Shota, a dentist, treated the captain's injuries.[25] While restrained, the first officer reportedly yelled "Kill me".[26]

Flydubai Flight 1073 altitude and speed (Time in UTC)

Upon receiving the hijacking code and being briefly unable to contact the flight, the Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets.[11][17] Communication was restored shortly thereafter and the relief crew declared an emergency at 9:44 a.m. After an hour flying at its new altitude of 15,000 ft (4,600 m), the plane landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia at 10:45 a.m. GST (9:45 a.m. local time).[15][18][27] Photographs taken after the landing showed that most of the aircraft's rudder was missing, as it had likely detached during the rapid descent when the plane exceeded its maximum design speed.[11]

Both pilots were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, with the captain, an Indian national, initially in serious condition after sustaining deep cuts to the head and hands.[28] His condition was later reported to be stable.[29][30] One passenger was also hospitalized, while most others were unharmed, with some requiring bandages for minor injuries.[31]

Investigation

Upon landing, the first officer was arrested by Saudi authorities.[11] Local authorities questioned the passengers and cabin crew for seven hours.[7] An initial assessment from Saudi authorities concluded that the first officer intended to deliberately crash the plane, though they could not yet determine a motive or whether he acted alone.[7] Saudi Arabia is cooperating with Israel, Oman, the UAE, and the United States in its investigation into a motive.[32]

The first officer was an Omani national,[33] who had reportedly worked for the airline for less than a year.[34] Under its agreement with Israel, Flydubai was obligated to exclude Omani pilots from any of its Tel Aviv operations because Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.[35] Initial Israeli assessments found that the first officer likely acted alone, as that there was no indication of Iranian involvement.[32]

On 1 October, the UAE launched a formal investigation into incident, including the motive, the weapon used, and any possible link to terrorism.[36] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed to let Israel participate in the investigation.[3][37]

Aftermath

In an official statement, Flydubai confirmed that an "incident" had occurred during the flight, noting that the plane landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were secure. The airline added that further updates would be provided once verified details became available.[38][39] A second statement cited "an altercation" on the flight deck, said on-duty crew travelling on the flight landed the aircraft, and called the motives unknown.[40] The company also sent two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to fly the passengers to Israel.[41][40]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held a security consultation, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment with Omer Tischler, the commander of the Israeli Air Force, and other senior military officials.[12][42][43] Israeli officials called it an attempted terrorist attack,[44] while Netanyahu said that it is too early to establish who was behind the attack.[45] Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi both praised the captain, Smit Machchhar.[46][47]

Katz insinuated that he and Netanyahu warned of such an attack, though opposition leader Yair Lapid said that plane hijackings were not mentioned in a security briefing from the previous night.[8] Antisemitic and anti-Zionist claims circulated online alleging that the incident was an Israeli-planned or staged false flag operation.[48][49]

Netanyahu announced new security measures in response to the incident.[43] Transport Minister Miri Regev called for Flydubai flights to Israel to be halted.[11] All Flydubai flights to Ben Gurion Airport were later suspended for six days.[50] The UAE also agreed to longstanding Israeli security demands that prevented Israeli airliners from flying there, and the Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, and Israir announced that they would resume flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai.[51][52]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jaiswal, Priyanka (1 October 2026). "'A hero': Trump hails Indian captain after Flydubai attack, calls co-pilot 'perhaps a terrorist'". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Peled, Anat (30 September 2026). "Pilot-on-Pilot Stabbing Forces Emergency Landing of Israel-Bound Plane - Netanyahu describes incident as apparent attempt to crash the plane loaded with Israeli passengers". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 Kweller, Idan (1 October 2026). "Netanyahu: Israel to join flydubai probe, 'we'll find out' whether Iran was involved". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "FlyDubai Flight Tracker Fleet". Plane Finder. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "'There was a lot of blood': How passengers responded to the Flydubai cockpit attack". thefederal.com. The Federal. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Lubell, Maayan; Cornwell, Alexander (1 October 2026). "Israel's Netanyahu: Co-pilot of flydubai plane underwent radical Islamist indoctrination". Reuters. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Peled, Anat; Katz, Benjamin; Said, Summer (30 September 2026). "The Cockpit Stabbing and Terrifying Nosedive That Brought Chaos to FlyDubai Flight 1073". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 Kershner, Isabel (1 October 2026). "Israeli Politicians Trade Barbs Over FlyDubai Attack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Berman, Lazar; Freiberg, Nava; Staff, ToI (29 September 2026). "Netanyahu claims indications of attack plot by 'enemies' ahead of election; Lapid, briefed, derides him". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  10. ↑ Karmel, Ariela (30 September 2026). "Flydubai attack becomes election flashpoint as opponents draw Oct. 7 parallels". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Copilot subdued after stabbing pilot in alleged attempt to crash plane full of Israelis". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 Ben Kimon, Elisha; Lifshitz-Kliger, Iris; Eichner, Itamar; Tamari, Liran (30 September 2026). "מכות בין הטייסים: מטוס מדובאי לנתב"ג דיווח על חשש לחטיפה ונחת בסעודיה" [Fistfight between the pilots: A flight from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport reported a suspected hijacking and landed in Saudi Arabia]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  13. 1 2 Klein, Zvika (30 September 2026). "Why were there two extra pilots aboard during the attempted flydubai hijacking?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  14. ↑ Moore, Henry (30 September 2026). "What we know about stabbing on Flydubai flight to Israel". BBC News. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  15. 1 2 "תוך פחות מדקה המטוס צלל מגובה של 34 אלף רגל לכ־17 אלף רגל: כל מה שידוע עד כה על טיסת "פליי דובאי"" [In less than a minute the plane dived from 34,000 feet to about 17,000 feet: Everything known so far about the Flydubai flight]. Zman Yisrael (in Hebrew). 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "What we know about the flydubai plane incident". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  17. 1 2 Hradecky, Simon (30 September 2026). "Accident: Flydubai B38M near Tabuk on Sep 30th 2026, fight in the cockpit, first officer under investigation for suspected suicide attempt". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  18. 1 2 Fabian, Emanuel (30 September 2026). "Hijacking ruled out as flydubai flight to Tel Aviv that declared emergency lands at Saudi airport". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  19. ↑ Drori, Aviv (30 September 2026). "How a woman's quick thinking and an Israeli executive's bravery saved Flydubai flight". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 Baskar, Pranav (1 October 2026). "FlyDubai Passenger Who Helped Subdue Pilot Describes Stabbing Attack in Cockpit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  21. ↑ Eichner, Itamar (30 September 2026). "'I grabbed him, choked him and pulled the controls': Israeli recounts Flydubai cockpit fight". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "'I watch Air Crash Investigation': Flydubai hero says TV show helped him take the controls". Ynetglobal. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  23. ↑ "Man who helped subdue knife-wielding suspect aboard flight to Tel Aviv honored". ABC News. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  24. ↑ "Wounded flydubai pilot used 'last moments of his energy' to click open cockpit door so hijacker could be subdued". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "Back in Israel, passengers say midair 'miracles' thwarted alleged attempt to crash plane". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  26. ↑ "Flydubai suspect 'underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,' Israel's PM says". CNN. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  27. ↑ "مطار تبوك: مغادرة جميع ركاب «فلاي دبي» إلى وجهتهم على متن طائرة بديلة" [Tabuk Airport: All Flydubai passengers depart for their destination on a replacement aircraft.]. Okaz (in Arabic). 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "'Head, Hands Sliced Open, Almost Severed In Two': Dentist Recalls Stabbed FlyDubai Pilot's Fight For Life". News18. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  29. ↑ Moore, Henry (1 October 2026). "'Hero' pilot stabbed by other pilot on Israel-bound plane, Israeli PM says". BBC News. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  30. ↑ Zanger-Shamir, Maya (30 September 2026). "Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar reportedly aided rescue efforts while wounded". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  31. ↑ O'Connell, Oliver; Venkatraman, Sakshi; Donnison, Jon; Shuval, Michael (30 September 2026). "Israel-Dubai flight: Netanyahu names 'hero' pilot attacked on flight as passengers arrive back in Israel". BBC News. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  32. 1 2 Christou, William; Yerushalmy, Jonathan (1 October 2026). "Co-pilot in flight stabbing had 'Islamic radical indoctrination', says Netanyahu". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  33. ↑ "'Immense courage and resolve': Pilot feted for crucial role in saving the lives of all aboard flydubai 1073". The Times of Israel. 1 October 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  34. ↑ Johnson, Tamika (30 September 2026). "flydubai Co-Pilot: What Is Known About FZ1073". Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  35. ↑ Perets, Byshir (30 September 2026). "Israel orders halt of flydubai flights over hijacking pilot's Omani background". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  36. ↑ "U.A.E. announces investigation into FlyDubai stabbing". CBC News. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  37. ↑ "UAE investigates possible 'terrorist' link in attack on flight to Israel". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  38. ↑ "Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia amid reports of pilot fight". AeroTime. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  39. ↑ ""פליי דובאי": לכל הנוסעים שהיו על הטיסה מדובאי לישראל – שלום" ["Flydubai": All passengers on the flight from Dubai to Israel are safe]. Zman Yisrael (in Hebrew). 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  40. 1 2 Hayashi, Erika (30 September 2026). "Updates on FZ 1073 DXB-TLV on 30 September 2026". FlyDubai. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  41. ↑ Stein, Amichai; Genn, James; Bob, Yonah Jeremy; Klein, Zvika (30 September 2026). "Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv veers off course, lands in Saudi Arabia after hijacking scare". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  42. ↑ Fabian, Emanuel (30 September 2026). "Hijacking ruled out as flydubai flight to Tel Aviv that declared emergency lands at Saudi airport". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  43. 1 2 "Will the flydubai attack save Netanyahu's struggling campaign?". The Times of Israel. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  44. ↑ Cornwell, Alexander; Amichay, Rami; Cornwell, Alexander (30 September 2026). "Israeli officials say diverted flydubai incident may be attempted 'terror attack'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  45. ↑ "Flydubai pilot investigated over possible attempt to crash Tel Aviv-bound flight". dw.com. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  46. ↑ Netanyahu, Benjamin [@netanyahu] (30 September 2026). "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster. He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery. He is a true hero" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 October 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  47. ↑ Lama, Prawesh (1 October 2026). "'Prevented 9/11-type tragedy': PM Modi praises flydubai Indian pilot Smit Machchhar's courage, quotes Netanyahu". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  48. ↑ Carter, Lucy; Workman, Micheal (1 October 2026). "Fake news and deepfakes about flydubai flight spreading online". ABC News. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  49. ↑ Stub, Zev (1 October 2026). "Conspiracy theories about flydubai attack spread across social media, reports find". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  50. ↑ Eichner, Itamar; Lifshitz-Klieger, Iris (30 September 2026). "Israel suspends Flydubai flights for 6 days after suspected terror attack". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  51. ↑ "Israeli airlines to resume Dubai flights after six month hiatus". Globes. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  52. ↑ "Netanyahu, Sa'ar speak to Emirati counterparts, vow cooperation after flydubai attack". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
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