Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended all Flydubai flights to Israel after a pilot allegedly stabbed his co-pilot mid-air, with an official claiming he "tried to do 9/11", forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The incident occurred during the early hours of Wednesday morning (September 30) on a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, carrying 174 passengers. The aircraft touched down safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Pilot attack and emergency landing
In a video statement, Netanyahu revealed that one of the pilots aboard the aircraft attacked the other pilot with a knife. "During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot," Netanyahu said. "Apparently, he tried to crash the plane with its occupants."
"Another air crew that was on the plane entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane," he added. "One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11," an official told Channel 12.
Nearly two and a half hours into the journey, the aircraft transmitted an emergency signal, according to publicly available flight-tracking information. The flight suddenly plummeted from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within a minute, before circling unpredictably and approaching the Jordanian border before eventually touching down in Tabuk approximately an hour later, according to Flightradar24.
Passengers and crew praised
Disturbing social media footage captured by passengers aboard the aircraft revealed one of the pilots drenched in blood. Travellers informed news organisations that they feared a terrorist attack was taking place at 35,000 feet. "We were either going to crash or be murdered," another passenger told I24 News.
One passenger, Almog Itali, has told media that one of the off-duty pilots onboard who stabilised the plane was British. In a short translated clip on the BBC, Mr Itali said: "There were two pilots in the front, one stabbed the other, and there were two spare pilots who were supposed to operate the next flight.
"The relief pilots are European, one of them British, who entered (the cockpit) and pulled the aircraft up, pulled the yoke, stabilised the plane and landed us in Saudi Arabia."
Another passenger was also hailed after Israeli Yaniv Hayoun said he grabbed the controls and hauled the aircraft out of a steep dive - then later joked: "Good thing I watched 'Air Crash Investigation.'" Senior journalist Amit Segal quoted him saying: "I pulled back on the controls and stopped the plane's dive. Good thing I watched 'Air Crash Investigation.'"
The wounded captain has also been praised for his actions after he managed to unlock the cockpit door before collapsing. This allowed passengers to gain access to the cockpit and tackled the co-pilot, who launched the attack. The courageous captain also reportedly battled his co-pilot and has since been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar. He is reportedly stable in hospital.
Flydubai statement
In a statement, a Flydubai spokesperson confirmed that a confrontation occurred on Flight FZ1073. The spokesperson declined to specify which individuals were involved in the confrontation.
"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. The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew traveling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU). All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for," the statement said.
The statement added that the incident is subject to a formal investigation. "At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts."
"Our immediate priority is to ensure the ongoing safety, health, and well-being of all passengers and crew members involved in this incident and support the official investigation."
The spokesperson went on to say that two substitute aircraft were dispatched to Tabuk to assist passengers and crew, and that the incident had no effect on other scheduled flights throughout the airline's network.
