Dubai to Tel Aviv flight made emergency landing due to fight between pilots

TL;DR: On September 30, a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. About an hour and a half after take‑off, the aircraft transmitted code 7700 (general emergency), which later changed to code 7500 (hijack). At the same time the plane deviated from its route and dropped sharply, losing half its altitude in less than a minute. Israel scrambled fighters, fearing a possible terror attack. The aircraft re‑established contact and landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

An anonymous Israeli official told Reuters that a fight broke out among the pilots. Passenger Miriam told i24News that she first heard shouting from the cockpit, then the cockpit door opened and passengers saw a lot of blood. She said the pilot was wounded with a knife. Two Israeli passengers—a doctor and a nurse—provided first aid. Some passengers were pilots who took over the controls and landed the plane in Tabuk.

Investigators are examining a version in which one pilot wanted to crash the aircraft. The other pilot reportedly struck the captain with a knife several times, apparently trying to seize control and crash the plane with everyone on board. Whether it was a suicide attempt or a terror act is still unclear. Several passengers and crew members forced their way into the cockpit and stopped him, Israeli journalist Amit Segal reported. He posted a photo of the FlyDubai crew member whose shirt was soaked in blood.

Initial reports said the pilots were Russian and Ukrainian citizens. Russian propaganda has begun using that narrative (“The second pilot, a Ukrainian, inflicted repeated knife wounds on the Russian captain,” wrote Vladimir Solovyov’s Telegram channel), but it is not verified. According to the latest Israeli outlets Ynet and Walla, the captain is an Emirati citizen, and the second pilot who injured him and tried to crash the plane is an Omani citizen. He is currently being questioned.

The flight carried 174 passengers, including 27 children. Most of them—about 150—were Israeli citizens. No passengers were injured, though they were clearly frightened; a video allegedly recorded during the flight showing cries circulated online. Walla reports that other Flydubai pilots, who were scheduled to fly to Tel Aviv on this route, completed the flight. After landing in Tabuk, FlyDubai sent a standby aircraft to transport the passengers to Tel Aviv.