Flydubai Flight Forced to Make Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia After Mid-Air Cockpit Attack.
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Flydubai Flight Forced to Make Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia After Mid-Air Cockpit Attack.
Dubai/Tel Aviv — September 30, 2026. A Flydubai flight en route from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv, Israel, was forced to make a dramatic emergency landing (emergency landing) in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following a severe mid-air security crisis in the cockpit.
Flight FZ1073, carrying approximately 130 to 180 passengers, experienced a violent confrontation when the co-pilot (reported by sources to be an Omani national) stabbed the aircraft’s captain, Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, with a knife and attempted to intentionally crash the aircraft.
Flight radar data revealed that the Boeing 737 suddenly lost significant altitude, causing severe panic in the cabin.
Realizing the imminent danger, a group of passengers and cabin crew members intervened at the cockpit door to secure the flight deck and subdue the assailant.
Fortuitously, two off-duty Flydubai pilots who were traveling as passengers stepped in to take control of the aircraft and stabilize the flight.
The plane safely redirected to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk.
All passengers survived without fatal injuries. Both Captain Machchhar and the first officer were hospitalized for injuries sustained during the struggle. Saudi Arabian authorities immediately took the suspect into custody.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the bravery of the passengers and crew, stating they prevented a catastrophic mid-air disaster.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted terror attack.
Flydubai officially confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and announced a temporary suspension of its flights to and from Israel while a formal, multi-national safety investigation is underway
