Here's the latest
• Hijacking attempt: A pilot on the Israel-bound Flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia stabbed the other pilot and appears to have tried to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. He said passengers and crew subdued the assailant, who has been arrested.
• Passenger’s fear: The incident caused the aircraft, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, to plummet 17,400 feet in less than two minutes, flight tracking data shows. One passenger told Israeli media there were moments she believed she was going to die.
• Israel’s response: It also prompted Israel’s prime minister and defense minister to hold a security consultation. Separately, an official said Israel is exploring the possibility of sending a military or civilian plane to bring passengers home.
What we know — and don't know — about suspected attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight
One of the pilots of the Israel-bound Flydubai flight FZ1073 stabbed the other pilot and appears to have tried to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a short while ago.
Here’s what we know, and don’t know, about the incident so far:
What we know
- When this happened: The plane issued a distress call at 8:31 a.m. local time this morning (1:31 a.m. ET), according to publicly available data. Minutes later, the flight squawked code 7500, which signals an aircraft hijacking. “During the flight as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot,” Netanyahu said.
- Where the plane was diverted: The incident caused the aircraft, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, to plummet 17,400 feet in less than two minutes, flight tracking data shows. It was then diverted to Saudi Arabia.
- Some details on the attack: After stabbing his colleague, the pilot carrying out the attack seemed to be attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems and trying to crash it, according to passengers, Netanyahu said.
- Some details on the attacker: The attempted hijacker of the aircraft was its co-pilot, Israeli officials have said. One official told CNN that the co-pilot was an Omani national.
- Some details on those injured: Both the captain and co-pilot of the plane were injured and taken to hospital, Saudi Arabia’s leading aviation operator said.
- Where passengers are now: Though Israel was exploring the possibility of sending either a military or civilian plane to Saudi Arabia to bring home passengers, Riyadh has refused to allow Israeli planes to collect them, an Israeli official told CNN. Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
What we don’t know
- Who the attacker was: The identity of the attacker has not yet been shared by authorities.
- How the attack took place: Details of any weapon used to attack the captain has not been shared. How the attacker was able to bring this weapon onto the plane, and exactly how the attack took place, is also currently unknown.
- What the motive was: No potential motivation for the attempted hijacking has yet been given by any authorities.
- How many people were on board: The exact number of people who were on the aircraft has not been shared. Though Flydubai said that all passengers are safe and accounted for, it is unknown if any were injured in this morning’s events. Netanyahu said that “almost all” of the passengers on the flight were Israelis.
CNN’s Tal Shalev, Jeremy Diamond, Ivana Kottasová, Becky Pinnington, Eyad Kourdi, Sophie Tanno, Kim Kelaita and Billy Stockwell contributed to this reporting.
Pilot apparently tried to crash Israel-bound Flydubai flight, Netanyahu says
One of the pilots of the diverted Israel-bound Flydubai flight stabbed the other pilot and appears to have tried to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said “almost all” of the passengers on the flight were Israelis, some of whom were able to break into the cockpit with crew members and subdue the assailant.
“I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to dive. He told me that somehow he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and together they neutralized the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the aircraft’s systems,” Netanyahu said.
The pilot has been arrested and is being interrogated by Saudi authorities, Netanyahu confirmed. “We are maintaining continuous contact with the relevant authorities to ensure the continued safety of the passengers and their return home.”
Israel has some of the strictest aviation protocols in the world
Israel enforces some of the strictest aviation security protocols in the world, with measures governed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) and the Israel Airports Authority (IAA).
Departing passengers are required to undergo pre-screening and questioning as part of security checks. Ben Gurion Airport advises passengers to arrive three hours ahead of their flight to allow for this.
As well as this pre-screening, passengers are required to pass multiple passport checks, advanced baggage scanning and, sometimes, full-body screening before boarding their flights.
Foreign airlines must obtain approval from Israel’s Aviation Security Operation Center (ASOC) before they can operate to and from the coutnry’s airports.
A history of hijackings and terminal attacks explain why Israel has adopted a tight security protocol at airports.
In 2022, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) resolved an aviation-security dispute that had threatened to halt Israeli airlines’ services to Dubai. Israel’s Shin Bet security agency had raised concerns over security arrangements at Dubai International Airport at the time.
The two sides eventually reached a new security agreement and agreed to work closely together on airport security.
Flydubai crew member diverted plane after cockpit altercation, airline says
A Flydubai crew member diverted and landed the Tel Aviv-bound aircraft in Saudi Arabia after an altercation broke out in the cockpit, a spokesperson for the airline told CNN, adding that a motive has not yet been established.
According to the spokesperson, the aircraft was “successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew traveling on the flight,” and landed safely at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport.
Flydubai has sent two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to aid the passengers and crew of the diverted flight, the spokesperson said, adding that an investigation has been launched.
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” the spokesperson said.
“We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”
Relatives of stranded passengers tell CNN most are boarding a new Flydubai flight home
Family members waiting for passengers from the diverted Flydubai flight at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv have told CNN most have now boarded a substitute Flydubai plane that was sent to Tabuk airport to pick them up.
However, they said some three families have refused to board the new flight and are insisting on flying home only with an Israeli air carrier.
Israel was exploring the possibility of sending either a military or civilian plane to Saudi Arabia to bring home passengers, but Riyadh has refused to allow Israeli planes to collect them, an Israeli official told CNN. Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
US Ambassador Huckabee says Israelis “helped subdue the copilot"
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has responded to today’s incident involving a diverted Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight, saying Israelis on board “helped subdue the copilot who apparently tried to take over the plane.”
It could have been a “horrific incident,” but everyone is safe, Huckabee posted on X. He added that details remain unclear at this stage.
Israeli sources told CNN they suspect the co-pilot tried to hijack the plane after stabbing the captain, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
"We need help": Passengers describe chaotic scenes after suspected stabbing of pilot
Videos taken by passengers on the Flydubai flight show the bloody aftermath of what they said was the stabbing of their pilot — and a huge relief that the perpetrator was subdued and the plane brought back under control.
The pilot and co-pilot were injured in the incident; Israeli sources suspect that the co-pilot stabbed the captain before trying to hijack the plane.
Another man said the pilot was “severely wounded” in the incident.
“We are on the flight from Dubai. We took over the flight here, an attacker with a knife stabbed one of the pilots, we just jumped and took him out of the cockpit a few guys, everything is okay now,” the man, who is not identified in the video shared on social media, says.
“There is a pilot here who is severely wounded apparently another pilot inside who is wounded but managing to land the plane. There are two crew members in the plane we made sure they close the door. I love you and everything is okay,” the man adds.
Another passenger, seemingly recording a message for his loved ones which was shared online by Israel’s Channel 14 said the attacker was tied up by the passengers.
“Everything is okay we landed, probably in Saudi Arabia. There is a pilot here who is severely wounded, they are evacuating him. I need to change my clothes everything is covered in blood.”
Saudi Arabia denies request for Israeli plane to collect passengers, Israeli official says
Saudi Arabia has refused to allow Israeli planes to collect the stranded passengers who were on board Flydubai flight FZ1073, an Israeli official told CNN.
Israel was exploring the possibility of sending either a military or civilian plane to Saudi Arabia to bring home passengers who landed there after the diversion of the flight, which was originally heading to Tel Aviv, an Israeli official told CNN earlier.
Saudi Arabia, however, has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Until 2022, Israeli airlines and Israel-bound flights were forbidden from even entering its airspace.
Saudi Arabia’s leading aviation operator Cluster2 said earlier that coordination was being carried out to arrange a replacement aircraft following this morning’s incident.
CNN has reached out to the Saudi government for comment.
CNN’s Abbas Al Lawati, Eyad Kourdi and Catherine Nicholls contributed to this reporting.
Israeli sources suspect co-pilot was trying to hijack plane after stabbing captain
Two Israeli sources tell CNN they suspect the co-pilot of the Israel-bound Flydubai flight was trying to hijack the plane after stabbing the captain.
The sources said it was not yet clear whether the intention would have been to crash the plane or to land it and take hostages.
Both the pilot and co-pilot were injured in the incident on the flight which was traveling to Tel Aviv but forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Photos show Flydubai passenger's blood-stained shirt and jeans
Photographs apparently taken aboard the diverted Flydubai flight show a male passenger in a bloodied t-shirt and jeans.
The two photos, circulating widely on social media, show the unidentified man sitting in his seat and standing up, seemingly uninjured, but with large blood stains on his clothes.
Several of those who were on the flight have told Israeli media that the attacker was subdued by the passengers after stabbing the pilot.
Israel investigates how Omani pilot was cleared to operate Tel Aviv-bound flight
A host of Israeli agencies, including Shin Bet, Mossad, the military and the country’s transportation ministry, are involved in investigating the Flydubai incident that took place this morning, an Israeli official told CNN.
One of the main questions being looked into is why the flight crew included a pilot from a country with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations, the official said.
One of the pilots on Flydubai flight FZ1073 was Omani, two Israeli officials told CNN earlier. One of the officials said the Omani national was the co-pilot, allegedly the attacker in the violent incident.
Oman and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations. It is not yet clear how the Omani pilot would have obtained clearance to fly to Israel.
CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and Catherine Nicholls contributed to this reporting.
Passenger's mother claims pilot stabbed on flight to Israel
The mother of a passenger on board Flydubai flight FZ1073 said that her daughter told her the pilot of the aircraft was stabbed.
The pilot was “screaming ‘help, help, help’,” Yasmin Abukasi told the Reuters news agency.
“She said it’s crazy, crazy time. It’s very hard to explain what’s happened there, but it was big stress. And after the plane start to go down, and they thinks they’re going to (crash) and now they land in Saudi, the people (are) in stress and shock,” she said.
Passengers celebrate as diverted flight lands in Saudi Arabia, video shows
Footage from the diverted Israel-bound Flydubai flight posted on social media shows passengers celebrating as the plane lands in Saudi Arabia.
People in the video can be seen clapping, chanting and cheering as the aircraft touches down at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft dropped more than 17,000 feet, according to tracking data reviewed by CNN, after a “violent incident” broke out between the pilots.
The captain and co-pilot of the diverted flight were both injured in this morning’s incident and taken to hospital, Saudi Arabia’s leading aviation operator Cluster2 said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a passenger told Israel’s i24 channel that there were moments she believed she was going to die.
CNN’s Eyad Kourdi, Catherine Nicholls, Dana Karni and Ivana Kottasová contributed reporting.
Who owns Flydubai?
Flydubai is wholly owned by the Dubai government, which established the airline in 2008 through the Dubai Aviation Corporation.
Operating from Dubai International Airport, the airline serves 131 destinations including to the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Flydubai is often considered as the low-cost sister carrier to the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Emirates airline. It is a separate entity, although both ultimately share the same owner - the Dubai government, via its sovereign wealth fund, the Investment Corporation of Dubai.
Currently, the airline’s fleet consists of variations of the Boeing 737 aircraft.
The airline has maintained a solid safety record since its establishment. Its only fatal incident was in March 2016, when a flight from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don, Russia, crashed during a landing attempt amid high ground-level wind and poor visibility. All 62 passengers and crew members on board were killed.
Israeli authorities say Flydubai incident could have been terror attack attempt. Catch up
More details are beginning to emerge surrounding this morning’s incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv in Israel.
Here’s the latest:
- Israeli authorities suspect the Flydubai incident may have been an attempted terrorist attack, two Israeli officials and an Israeli source familiar with the situation said.
- An Israeli official told CNN that information gathered suggests the co-pilot tried to stab the pilot, and a passenger helped to take him down.
- The captain and co-pilot of the plane were both injured in the incident and taken to hospital, Saudi Arabia’s leading aviation operator said.
- One of the pilots on Flydubai flight FZ1073 was Omani, two Israeli officials told CNN. One of the officials said the Omani national was the co-pilot, who was allegedly the attacker.
We’ll bring you more on this as we get it.
CNN’s Tal Shalev, Jeremy Diamond, Dana Karni, Ivana Kottasová and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this reporting.
One of the pilots on Flydubai plane was Omani, Israeli officials say
One of the pilots on Flydubai flight FZ1073 was Omani, two Israeli officials told CNN.
One of the officials said the Omani national was the co-pilot, who was alledegly the attacker in the violent incident that took place aboard the plane.
Oman and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations. It is not yet clear how the Omani pilot would have obtained clearance to fly to Israel.
Flight tracking data shows how the incident unfolded
Here is the timeline of the diverted Flydubai Flight FZ1073, based on publicly available data:
- 6:05 a.m (local time). Flight FZ1073 takes off from Dubai and flies west.
- 8:20 a.m. The plane begins losing altitude and turns sharply to the north. It descends 17,400 feet in just under two minutes.
- 8:31 a.m. The flight issues a distress call by squawking code 7700, the International Civil Aviation Organization code for emergency.
- 8:35 a.m. The flight squawks code 7500, which signals aircraft hijacking.
- 8:41 a.m. The plane enters Jordanian airspace and turns around.
- 8:46 a.m. The plane re-enters Saudi airspace.
- 9:54 a.m. Flight FZ1073 touches down at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport.
Captain and co-pilot taken to hospital with injuries, Saudi aviation operator says
The captain and co-pilot of the diverted Flydubai flight FZ1073 were both injured in this morning’s incident and taken to hospital, Saudi Arabia’s leading aviation operator Cluster2 said in a statement a short while ago.
The Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk received a distress call from the Flydubai plane requesting an emergency landing at the airport at 8:44 a.m. local time this morning (1:44 a.m. ET), it said.
The airport declared a state of emergency, and the plane landed safely just over an hour later, it continued.
Both the plane’s captain and co-pilot were transferred to hospital because of their injuries, the aviation operator said, while passengers were treated in the airport terminal.
Coordination has also been carried out to arrange a replacement aircraft following this morning’s incident, Cluster2 said.
How Dubai became one of Israel's most popular foreign destinations
Dubai - from where the diverted Israel-bound flight was returning - has become one of Israel’s busiest and most frequently served international destinations.
This is thanks to the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2020, through the brokered Abraham Accords, which allowed commercial aviation services between the two countries to resume.
Since then, the aviation corridor between Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) and Dubai International Airport (DXB) has seen significant growth, with both Israel- and UAE-based airlines expanding operations to meet the demand for tourism and business travel.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, there are typically 70 flights running between Dubai (DXB) and Tel Aviv (TLV) per week. Flydubai is the main carrier operating the route, in addition to Emirates and Israeli airlines Israir and El Al.
Data from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in December showed that 1.1 million Israeli passengers traveled to Dubai in 2025.
Passenger feared for her life as plane went "completely out of control"
A passenger on board the Flydubai flight told Israel’s i24 channel that one of the pilots on the flight was stabbed and there were moments she believed she was going to die.
“We just heard screams, and then the cockpit door opened and we saw a huge amount of blood,” the passenger, identified only as Miriam, told the channel.
She said one of the pilots was injured and was receiving first aid but it was unclear who stabbed them.
She said the plan was “completely out of control.”
There has been no confirmation of what happened on board the flight but an Israeli official told us that information gathered suggests the co-pilot tried to stab the pilot, and a passenger helped to take him down.
