If you saw headlines about a Flydubai flight plunging thousands of feet and landing in Saudi Arabia, here is the short version. On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after what passengers and Israeli officials describe as a violent attempt by the co-pilot to seize control of the aircraft and crash it. Everyone on board survived. The airline confirms a fight in the cockpit but says the cause is still under investigation. Flights between Dubai and Israel are suspended for now. CBS News
This article separates what has been independently confirmed from what remains an allegation, lays out the timeline from flight-tracking data, and explains what the incident means if you have a flight from Dubai booked.
What is confirmed
These points come from the airline's own statements and from publicly available flight-tracking data.
Flydubai's statement says an altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), on 30 September. According to the airline, the aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU). All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for. flightradar24flightradar24
The aircraft was a Boeing 737 Max 8. The plane diverted to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, where there is a civilian airport adjacent to a Saudi military base. No passengers were injured in the incident, but the pilot who was attacked by his fellow crew member reportedly sustained stab wounds, and Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. CBS NewsCBS News
The airline deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to relieve the passengers and crew. The plane landed in Tel Aviv shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday. flightradar24CBS News
Flydubai has since announced that flydubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues.
For American readers: two U.S. officials told CBS News that there were four people with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship aboard the flight.
What is alleged but not yet independently verified
The most dramatic claims come from Israeli officials and passengers, not from the airline or the Saudi investigators who have custody of the co-pilot. That doesn't make them false, but they belong in a separate category until an official investigation reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it "an attempted jihadist terror attack" that was stopped by passengers who forced their way into the cockpit. CBS NewsCBS News
The motive question is unsettled even among Israeli officials. In an interview with CBS News later Wednesday, Netanyahu indicated that the co-pilot's motive was still unknown. By Thursday, he told Fox News that Israel knew the co-pilot "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," based on "personal information" gathered during ongoing questioning. An Israeli security official told CBS News authorities were investigating the possibility that the incident could have been an attempted Sept. 11-style terror attack, and whether the attacker was working alone. FlyDubai co-pilot stabbed captain, tried to crash flight to Israel after "radical indoctrination," Netanyahu says - CBS News +2
The airline's position is more cautious. Its statement says the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation, and it asked the public to avoid speculation while facts are gathered.
On the co-pilot's identity: An Omani official confirmed to CBS News that the attacker was born in Oman and currently holds Omani citizenship, but the Omani government has not publicly confirmed his nationality. According to Netanyahu, the pilot who carried out the stabbing was placed under arrest and was "being questioned by the Saudi authorities." CBS NewsCBS News
The timeline, from flight-tracking data
Flightradar24, which collects position and altitude broadcasts from aircraft, published the following sequence. Times are UTC; Dubai is UTC+4, so the flight departed around 7:05 a.m. local time.
FlyDubai flight 1073 departed Dubai at 03:05 UTC and climbed to a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. At 05:21 UTC, the flight began a steep descent, followed by a sharp ascent, followed by another sharp descent. The aircraft then centered its flight on an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet by 05:33 UTC.
The aircraft began squawking 7700, a discreet code internationally standardized to indicate "general emergency", at 05:28:48 UTC as it flew along the Saudi-Jordanian border. The flight switched to squawk 7500 at 05:35 UTC, another internationally standardized code to indicate "unlawful interference", before turning west. After briefly entering Jordanian airspace, the flight turned back 180 degrees before heading southwest toward Tabuk.
In plain language: a "squawk" is a four-digit code a pilot enters into the aircraft's transponder so air traffic control can see its status. 7700 means any emergency. 7500 is reserved for hijacking or interference with the crew. Seeing both codes on one flight is what triggered the early hijacking headlines.
The response on the ground was fast. The Israeli Air Force was first to notice something was wrong, an Israeli official with direct knowledge of the situation told CBS News. The air force noticed the flight deviating from its flight path and descending at an alarming rate, briefly closed Israeli airspace and scrambled jets. The jets never left Israeli airspace because it became clear that the plane had turned toward Saudi Arabia, and that Saudi Arabia had scrambled its own jets, the official said. CBS NewsCBS News
Who regained control of the aircraft
Accounts from passengers and Israel's foreign ministry describe a chain of people, not a single hero. Passenger Asaf Rajuan has been credited with fighting off the attacker in the cockpit before two off-duty pilots took control of the plane.
The Israel Foreign Ministry identified the wounded pilot as Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national. According to the foreign ministry, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door to allow passengers and crew to enter and intervene. That detail matters: reinforced cockpit doors, mandated after 9/11, are designed to keep people out, which means the captain had to deliberately let help in while injured. CBS NewsCBS News
Note that passenger counts vary slightly across official accounts, with the foreign ministry citing 174 people saved and a government minister citing 180 Israelis aboard. Treat the exact number as unconfirmed.
If you have a flight from Dubai booked
Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest international hubs in the world, and many US travelers connect there on Emirates. Flydubai is the lower-cost sister carrier of the United Arab Emirates state-owned flagship carrier Emirates. Here is a practical way to think through your situation.
You're flying Flydubai to or from Israel.
Those flights are suspended with no announced end date. The airline said it will review the suspension as more information becomes available and is working to provide support and alternative arrangements where possible. Check the Manage Booking section of flydubai.com and your email for rebooking options before calling.
You're flying Flydubai anywhere else.
The airline stated the incident has no impact on other scheduled operations across the flydubai network. Your flight is likely operating, but confirm status the day before and again the morning of departure. flightradar24
You're connecting through Dubai on Emirates or another carrier.
Nothing in the airline's statements suggests disruption to Dubai International Airport operations. The usual advice applies: check your flight status directly with your carrier rather than relying on a flight-tracking app, for a reason explained below.
You're booked to Israel on any airline.
Separately from this incident, airline service to Israel has been repeatedly suspended and restored over the past two years because of the regional security situation. Confirm with your carrier, and check the US State Department's current travel advisory for Israel before departure.
A common mistake with breaking aviation news
During the incident, Hebrew-language media reported that a second Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv had turned around. It hadn't. The news outlet added that the mistake was likely due to a glitch on flight-tracking sites. Al Jazeera
Flight-tracking apps are valuable, and this article relies on one, but they display estimated positions and can show errors, especially when an aircraft changes course or signal coverage drops. During a developing story, confirm anything about your own flight with the airline or airport, not with a tracker screenshot circulating on social media.
The bottom line
The confirmed facts are narrow: a fight in the cockpit, a diversion, a safe landing, injured crew, and a suspension of Israel flights. The broader claims about intent and motive come from Israeli officials and passengers and are being investigated by Saudi, Emirati and Israeli authorities. Expect the picture to change as that investigation proceeds, and weigh any new claim by who is making it and whether they have access to the evidence.
If you're traveling through Dubai in the coming weeks, check your flight status directly with your carrier, keep your contact details current in your booking, and allow extra time at the airport in case security procedures tighten.
