Israel minister says ‘terrorist’ wanted to crash flydubai plane carrying 180 passengers

A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia and made an emergency landing at Tabuk on Wednesday after an incident involving the flight crew triggered a series of emergency signals, including one associated with possible unlawful interference.

Flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport, transmitted squawk code 7700 shortly after take-off, indicating a general emergency. It later switched to 7500, the internationally recognised transponder code for unlawful interference with an aircraft, including a possible hijacking, before transmitting 7700 again. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft subsequently changing course towards Saudi Arabia and landing safely at Tabuk.

The signals initially prompted fears that the aircraft had been hijacked and reportedly led Israel to scramble fighter jets as a precaution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also held security consultations following the incident.

However, an Israeli official later said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking. According to the official, the emergency signals were transmitted after the two pilots became involved in a physical altercation. Flydubai said the aircraft had experienced an “incident” while en route to Tel Aviv and confirmed that it landed safely at Tabuk, with all passengers accounted for.

Passenger describes chaos inside cockpit

The flight was carrying about 180 Israeli passengers. One passenger's mother told AFP that her daughter, Miryam Abukasis, described a terrifying scene after the aircraft landed.

Yasmin Abukasis said her daughter was travelling to Israel to attend a service for her brother, who was killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Speaking by telephone after the landing, Miryam reportedly told her mother that passengers believed they were going to die.

“She said one pilot tried to kill the other pilot with a knife,” Abukasis said. She added that passengers heard cries of “Help, help!” and that a woman travelling with three children went towards the cockpit and saw blood.

Other reports said passengers intervened during the struggle inside the cockpit. The precise sequence of events and the circumstances that led to the confrontation remain under investigation. Reuters reported that it could not independently verify an image circulating online that appeared to show a bloodied passenger.

The captain and co-pilot were injured and taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia, according to the statement from the authorities at Tabuk airport. The airport said the aircraft had made an emergency landing after issuing a distress call.

Aircraft made a rapid descent before diversion

Flight-tracking data provided another indication of the seriousness of the incident. Flightradar24 said FZ1073 suddenly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before transmitting the first emergency signal. The aircraft later diverted towards Tabuk, where it landed safely.

The tracking data showed the aircraft transmitting 7700, then 7500 and subsequently 7700 again. The 7500 code is used to indicate unlawful interference, but its transmission by itself does not establish that a hijacking occurred.

The emergency signals were particularly significant because the flight was carrying Israeli passengers and was travelling towards Israel. The route normally crosses Saudi and Jordanian airspace, and flydubai operates regular services between Dubai and Tel Aviv.

The incident also highlighted the sensitivity surrounding flights between Israel and Gulf countries. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal diplomatic relations, although there have been previous instances of Israel-bound aircraft making emergency landings in Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed in Riyadh in September 2025 after a medical incident, according to Reuters.

Ben Gvir calls for tougher military response

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described the incident as evidence that Israel should intensify its military campaigns across the region.

“Thank God and the heroic passengers, but Israel's security doctrine must be taken to the next level,” Ben Gvir said. He called for Israel to continue its military campaign until what he described as “total victory” in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and Judea and Samaria, the biblical term he used for the West Bank.

Ben Gvir also alleged that a terrorist had intended to crash the aircraft and kill the passengers. The claim came before the subsequent assessment by an Israeli official that the incident was not believed to have been a conventional hijacking. The circumstances and motive behind the cockpit confrontation remain subject to investigation.

Flydubai said its teams were working with the relevant authorities and that the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew remained its highest priority. The airline confirmed that all passengers were safe and accounted for following the landing at Tabuk.