flydubai co-pilot stabs captain onboard: Here's what we know so far

A fight broke out between the pilots onboard a flydubai flight, which prompted the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia. Here's what we know about the incident so far

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an altercation between the pilots turned violent. The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport, with all passengers accounted for.

 

The incident involved flight FZ1073, which departed Dubai International Airport for Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft transmitting an emergency code before switching to a code used for unlawful interference. It later returned to the general emergency code and diverted to Tabuk.

 

Ever since the incident made headlines, details about what happened onboard have remained conflicting.

 

News agency Reuters, citing two Israeli officials, reported that the Israeli government believes the incident may have been an attempted “terror attack” by one of the pilots. Some Israeli media reports identified the pilot under investigation as an Omani national, while other reports gave different nationalities.

 

What happened on the flight? Here’s what we know

According to The Jerusalem Post, Israeli officials said one of the pilots stabbed the other during an altercation and attempted to take control of the aircraft. An Israeli official told the newspaper that additional crew members, assisted by passengers, subdued the pilot.

 

The Jerusalem Post reported that the aircraft lost about 4,000 metres in altitude during the incident. Flightradar24's flight data shows that the aircraft began a steep descent at about 05:21 UTC (10:51 am IST), after flying at around 34,000 feet. It later levelled off at about 15,000 feet before continuing towards Tabuk.

 

Passengers told Israel's Channel 12 that they heard shouting from the front of the aircraft and that the plane dipped sharply before landing in Saudi Arabia.

Reports about the pilot's nationality

The identity and background of the pilot involved in the incident were still being investigated, according to The Jerusalem Post. The newspaper reported that initial Israeli investigations indicated that the suspected pilot was believed to be an Omani national.

 

Notably, Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

 

According to a Transportation Ministry source cited by The Jerusalem Post, flydubai's agreement allowing it to operate flights to and from Ben-Gurion Airport requires pilots to be from countries that have normalised relations with Israel.

 

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev had asked Shin Bet to halt flydubai flights entering and leaving Israel following the unconfirmed reports about the pilot's Omani origin. The nationality had not been independently confirmed at the time of writing this report.

What flydubai has said

flydubai confirmed that flight FZ1073 had "experienced an incident while en route" and said the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport.

 

The airline said: "All passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available."

 

Tabuk airport also said that both the pilot and first officer were wounded and were taken to hospital after the aircraft landed. It did not give details on how the injuries occurred.

Passengers to return to Israel

Israel said arrangements were being made to bring the passengers back from Saudi Arabia. The Prime Minister's Office said: "The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel."

 

The Jerusalem Post reported that flydubai planned to send another aircraft to Saudi Arabia to take the passengers back to Tel Aviv.

 

The airline has not publicly provided further details about the incident beyond confirming that it occurred and that the passengers were safe.