A routine flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a terrifying mid-air emergency on September 30.
There were screams from the cockpit.
A pilot was reportedly attacked with a knife.
The aircraft transmitted the international code for unlawful interference.
Then it suddenly lost around 14,000 feet of altitude in less than 30 seconds.
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled, passengers feared the worst and the Flydubai Boeing 737 was eventually diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
All passengers survived.
But as new testimony emerges, the incident appears to have been far more serious than the first reports of a simple “fight between pilots” suggested.
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A Violent Incident Broke Out Inside the Cockpit
Flydubai flight FZ1073 had departed Dubai in the morning and was travelling towards Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when the emergency began.
According to flight-tracking data, the aircraft initially transmitted 7700, the universal transponder code used for a general emergency.
Shortly afterwards, it changed to 7500.
That code has a very specific meaning in aviation: unlawful interference with the aircraft.
It is widely known as the “hijacking code”.
At roughly the same time, the aircraft entered an extraordinary rapid descent.
Data cited by international media showed the Boeing losing approximately 14,000 feet in less than half a minute.
For the passengers on board, something was clearly going very wrong.
Passengers Reported Screams, Blood and a Knife
The first eyewitness accounts have described scenes of chaos around the cockpit.
Reuters reported testimony from people aboard the aircraft describing screams and a man armed with a knife forcing one of the pilots to the floor.
Other passengers later described seeing blood when the cockpit area became visible.
Israeli media have published even more dramatic accounts.
According to a report attributed to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, the sister of one passenger said the woman aboard the flight had heard a crew member shouting “Allah Akbar” before running towards the pilot.
She reportedly said that a group of Israeli passengers then helped restrain the individual.
That testimony has not yet been independently confirmed by Flydubai or Saudi authorities, and investigators have not yet established the motive behind the incident.
But it adds another disturbing element to an already extraordinary sequence of events.
Did the Co-Pilot Try to Crash the Plane?
This is now the most serious question surrounding FZ1073.
Initial official reports described the emergency as a physical altercation between the two pilots.
Later Israeli reports, however, suggested that the co-pilot may have attacked the captain and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Some officials cited by Israeli media said investigators were examining whether the intention was to deliberately crash the plane.
Other possible scenarios — including an attempted hijacking or another form of deliberate attack — were also being examined.
At the time of publication, none of those motives had been conclusively established.
Flydubai has confirmed that a serious incident occurred but has not publicly confirmed that the co-pilot deliberately attempted to crash the aircraft.
Saudi authorities are questioning those involved.
Other Pilots on Board May Have Helped Save the Aircraft
One of the most remarkable details to emerge from Israeli media concerns what happened after the captain was reportedly attacked.
According to those reports, a group of off-duty pilots travelling aboard the aircraft as passengers was able to help regain control while the plane was descending sharply.
They were reportedly on board as part of a crew transfer rather than operating the flight itself.
If confirmed, their presence may have been crucial.
The aircraft was eventually stabilised, diverted away from its original route and directed towards Saudi Arabia.
The sequence has led Israeli media to describe the incident as a potential catastrophe that was narrowly avoided.
However, Flydubai has not yet released a complete official account identifying who controlled the aircraft during the final stages of the emergency.
Israel Scrambled Fighter Jets
The combination of the 7500 signal, the rapid descent and the loss of normal communication immediately triggered a major security response.
Israeli fighter aircraft were sent into the air while military and political officials monitored the situation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed, and senior Israeli security officials held urgent consultations.
At that stage, authorities did not know whether the aircraft had been hijacked, whether somebody had seized control of the cockpit or whether the plane represented a threat to Israeli airspace.
The decision was ultimately made for the aircraft not to continue towards Tel Aviv.
Instead, FZ1073 diverted to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Plane Landed Safely in Saudi Arabia
Despite the extraordinary events in the air, the Boeing landed safely.
Saudi security forces met the aircraft on the ground, while passengers remained under supervision as authorities began investigating what had happened.
The Israeli prime minister’s office later said the situation was under control and that arrangements were being made to bring the passengers safely to Israel.
For the people on board, the safe landing ended an ordeal that had lasted only minutes but could have had dramatically different consequences.
And the story was not over.
Only hours later, another Flydubai flight operating the same Dubai–Tel Aviv route also turned back, adding a second unexpected development to an already extraordinary day for the airline.
A Second Dubai–Tel Aviv Flight Turned Back Hours Later
Just when the situation appeared to be stabilising, another Flydubai flight on the same Dubai–Tel Aviv route also changed course.
Flight FZ1081, which had departed Dubai shortly after midday local time on September 30, turned around while flying over Saudi Arabia and began heading back towards the United Arab Emirates.
The diversion was reported by Israeli media and confirmed by flight-tracking data.
At the time of writing, the reason for the second diversion had not been made public.
There was also no confirmed evidence that FZ1081 had experienced another cockpit confrontation, hijacking alert or security incident similar to the one aboard FZ1073.
That distinction is important.
The fact that two Flydubai flights operating the same route were diverted within hours of each other is highly unusual, but it does not by itself prove that the two events were connected.
What Exactly Does Code 7500 Mean?
One of the most dramatic details from FZ1073 was its use of transponder code 7500.
Commercial aircraft use a four-digit transponder code to communicate important information to air traffic controllers.
7700 signals a general emergency.
7600 indicates a loss of radio communications.
And 7500 indicates unlawful interference with an aircraft.
It is often referred to simply as the “hijack code”, but its meaning is slightly broader than that.
A pilot can use it when someone is attempting to seize control of the aircraft or when another serious form of unlawful interference is taking place.
FZ1073 initially transmitted 7700 and then 7500 before later returning to the general emergency code.
That sequence was one of the reasons the incident immediately triggered a major security response in Israel.
Israel Initially Feared a Hijacking
With an Israel-bound passenger aircraft rapidly losing altitude and transmitting the unlawful-interference code, Israeli authorities had to prepare for the most dangerous scenario.
Fighter jets were scrambled and senior security officials monitored the aircraft as its flight path changed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also briefed as authorities tried to establish whether somebody had taken control of the plane.
An Israeli official later told Reuters that the incident was caused by a physical fight between the pilots rather than a conventional hijacking.
That assessment does not resolve all of the unanswered questions.
The presence of a knife, the rapid descent and passenger accounts of violence inside or around the cockpit mean investigators still need to determine exactly what each crew member intended and how events unfolded.
Was It a Terrorist Attack?
This remains the most sensitive question surrounding the incident.
Some Israeli media reports have described testimony suggesting that a crew member shouted “Allah Akbar” before moving towards the pilot.
Other reports have claimed that the co-pilot may have deliberately attempted to take control of the aircraft or cause it to crash.
At the time of publication, however, neither Flydubai nor Saudi authorities had officially confirmed a terrorist motive.
Reuters reported the violent cockpit confrontation and eyewitness testimony involving a knife, while Israeli officials said the initial hijacking fears had not developed into a confirmed conventional hijacking.
That means terms such as “terrorist attack” or “attempted crash” should still be treated as allegations while the investigation continues.
The confirmed facts are already extraordinary enough: there was a serious in-flight incident, an unlawful-interference signal was transmitted, the aircraft descended extremely rapidly and it was forced to make an emergency diversion.
Why the Saudi Arabia Landing Was So Unusual
FZ1073 eventually landed in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Geographically, the diversion made sense: once the aircraft was unable to continue towards Tel Aviv, Tabuk offered a nearby airport where it could get safely on the ground.
Politically, however, the situation was unusual.
Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations.
Israeli passengers therefore found themselves making an emergency landing in a country they would not normally enter on a direct commercial journey.
Saudi security personnel surrounded the aircraft after landing and began questioning those involved, while Israeli authorities worked on arrangements for the passengers.
This was not the first time a Flydubai service to Israel had landed unexpectedly in Saudi Arabia: another flight made an emergency landing there in 2025 because of a medical emergency.
But the circumstances surrounding FZ1073 were far more serious.
What We Know — and What We Still Don’t
Several important points are now established.
FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv when a serious onboard incident occurred.
The aircraft transmitted both the general emergency code and the unlawful-interference code.
Flight-tracking data showed a sudden descent of roughly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
Witnesses described screams and a man with a knife forcing a pilot to the floor.
The aircraft diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed safely, with all passengers accounted for.
What remains unclear is just as important.
Authorities have not yet publicly established why the confrontation started, whether the aircraft was deliberately put into a dive, whether there was a planned attempt to seize the plane or whether ideology or terrorism played any role.
The reason behind FZ1081 turning back to Dubai later the same day also remained unexplained at the time of publication.
The Investigation Could Change the Story Again
Flydubai has so far limited its public comments to confirming that an incident occurred and that passengers were safe.
Saudi authorities are investigating what happened after the aircraft landed in Tabuk, while Israeli officials continue to follow developments closely.
That means some of the most dramatic details now circulating — particularly the alleged intention to crash the aircraft and the possible terrorist motive — could still be confirmed, contradicted or substantially revised.
The second Flydubai diversion only adds to the questions.
For anyone following the story, the crucial distinction is therefore between what witnesses and media outlets are reporting and what investigators have formally established.
For the latest information on flight disruptions and passenger protection, you can also read our guide to Europe’s latest air passenger rights rules, while Flightradar24 provides live aircraft tracking and flight-status information.
For now, one fact matters more than any of the competing theories: FZ1073 landed safely despite an exceptionally dangerous sequence of events, and everyone on board survived.
What happened inside that cockpit may take considerably longer to establish.
