DUBAI, Sep 30: An Indian captain on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly fought with his co-pilot after the latter allegedly attempted to bring down the aircraft, forcing the Boeing 737 MAX to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, according to Israeli media reports.
Israeli news outlet Ynet, citing officials, reported that the first officer was an Omani national and was suspected of trying to interfere with the aircraft’s operation. The captain allegedly confronted him, while several Israeli passengers later entered the cockpit and helped restrain him.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other before apparently attempting to crash the aircraft while it was carrying passengers. According to Netanyahu, an Israeli passenger told him the plane began spinning and rapidly descending. The passenger and a crew member reportedly gained access to the cockpit and overpowered the pilot accused of the attack.
Another crew member subsequently entered the cockpit and helped bring the aircraft under control, Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister praised those involved, saying their actions prevented a potentially serious disaster and saved lives.
The aircraft subsequently landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. All 174 passengers, including 27 children, were reported safe.
Flydubai confirmed that flight FZ1073 had experienced an in-flight incident and was diverted to Tabuk. The airline said its crew secured the aircraft and completed the landing safely, adding that all passengers and crew members were accounted for.
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” Flydubai said, urging against speculation while authorities establish what happened.
The airline has not disclosed the identities or nationalities of the two pilots. Tabuk airport authorities said both the captain and first officer sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.
Flight-tracking information examined by BBC Verify indicated that the aircraft had been flying at around 34,000 feet before losing more than 17,000 feet in under two minutes. The plane also transmitted emergency signals, including a code associated with possible unlawful interference.
The incident triggered security concerns in Israel, with fighter jets reportedly scrambled over fears that the aircraft could have been hijacked. The plane was subsequently diverted to Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the episode as an alleged terrorist attack and credited passengers with helping prevent a larger incident. His characterization has not been established by the formal investigation.
Passengers described chaotic scenes inside the aircraft. Video footage circulated on social media appeared to show travellers moving towards the front of the plane, with people shouting and asking what had happened.
Passenger Zvika Manes, who said he helped restrain the alleged attacker, told Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist that he heard shouting and screams close to the cockpit before he and other passengers intervened.
Another passenger, Dalia Shpigel, told Haaretz that passengers heard intense screams before several men entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker.
Haaretz journalist Noa Shpigel said her 74-year-old mother was travelling on the flight after flying from Kathmandu through Dubai. She told the BBC that her mother noticed something was wrong when the aircraft began moving erratically and then appeared to dive.
According to Shpigel, her mother said several young Israeli passengers seated near the front went into the cockpit after realising there was a serious problem.
The flight was operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv as FZ1073. The aircraft had transmitted emergency alerts before being diverted to Tabuk.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid separately rejected suggestions that the incident was connected to a security warning about increased terrorist activity abroad that he had received before the flight incident.
Lapid said the warning had been in place for more than two years and was unrelated to aircraft or aviation threats. He also said that nothing resembling the reported incident had been raised during a security briefing with Netanyahu the previous night.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia and Israel are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the confrontation in the cockpit and the sequence of events that led to the emergency diversion.