What happened aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073?

Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026, diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia after an altercation in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely, and Flydubai said passengers and crew were safe. Israeli officials alleged that the co-pilot attacked the captain and tried to crash the plane, but the motive and alleged intent have not been established by a completed investigation. 56273

What happened during the flight

The flight crew transmitted emergency signals before the aircraft diverted. The BBC reported that the plane first sent squawk 7700, an emergency code, and later squawk 7500, associated with unlawful interference. Those signals describe the emergency response; on their own, they do not establish why the incident happened. 2

Flydubai confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and said crew members travelling aboard the aircraft intervened and secured the plane. The airline confirmed the safe diversion to Tabuk. 56

How passengers and crew helped

Israeli officials and media accounts reported that the injured captain, identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, opened the cockpit door, allowing people nearby to intervene. Passengers and crew helped overpower the co-pilot, while other pilots aboard the flight helped stabilize and land the aircraft, according to reported accounts. Machchhar was taken to hospital. 2152839

The available accounts differ in how they describe the sequence and the roles of those who intervened. Flydubai’s public statement confirmed crew intervention and the safe diversion, but did not provide a detailed account of the confrontation. 56

What is known—and not known—about the co-pilot

An Israeli official identified the co-pilot as an Omani national. Available reporting did not include public confirmation of that identification from Flydubai or Saudi authorities. 413

Israeli leaders raised terrorism as a possible explanation, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also mentioned possible mental instability. Flydubai said the motive remained unknown, and reporting said it was still under investigation. Neither terrorism nor any other motive should be treated as a confirmed finding. 1612

Investigation, security response, and flight suspension

Saudi authorities were questioning the co-pilot, and Netanyahu said Israel might participate in the investigation. Reporting also noted that authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had not confirmed the Israeli account that the co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft. 423

Israel announced tighter checks on pilots flying into the country. Flydubai, meanwhile, temporarily suspended all services to and from Israel while authorities investigated and worked to establish the facts. 4627

Netanyahu described the incident as a serious security event and praised those who intervened; Defence Minister Israel Katz called it a thwarted jihadist attack. Those statements reflect political assessments made while the investigation was ongoing, not a final determination of the co-pilot’s motive. 112