A Flydubai Boeing 737, flight FZ1073, departed Dubai for Tel Aviv early Wednesday and, two hours into the journey, dropped almost 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds. The aircraft’s data showed a rapid descent at nearly 500 feet per second before sending an emergency signal. The plane briefly switched to a hijack code before reverting to a general emergency warning, then altered its course over Saudi Arabia and landed safely.
Witnesses and video footage revealed that a co‑pilot stabbed the captain, Captain Smit Machchhar, and attempted to sabotage the aircraft. Passengers near the front of the cabin and relief pilots, including a British crew member, restrained the attacker and stabilized the plane. The flight was brought down in Saudi Arabia just before 7 a.m. The incident was described by Israeli officials as an attempted terror attack, not a mental‑health crisis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the captain a “true hero” and praised his bravery in opening the cockpit door while wounded. He said the co‑pilot tried to deliberately crash the aircraft and that the suspect, an Omani national, was arrested after the landing. Saudi authorities will interrogate the detained individual.
Passengers recounted a chaotic scene, describing the event as a hijacking and claiming they overpowered the attacker. The motive remains unclear, no group has claimed responsibility, and details about the weapon and how it was smuggled onto the plane are still unknown. The investigation into the underlying reasons and motives is ongoing.
