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Flydubai Flight Crew Stops Stabbing, Lands Safely in Saudi

By Drooid · Oct 1, 2026, 8:05 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Netanyahu reports attempted crash

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Flydubai co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted a crash in Saudi Arabia.
Flight FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv with 172 people, including 169 Israeli citizens.
Three Israeli passengers and a crew member broke the cockpit door and restrained the attacker.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport after off-duty pilots helped stabilize it.

Summary

Flydubai suspends route

Flydubai suspended its Dubai-Tel Aviv route pending an investigation.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority launched a formal probe into the security breach.
Saudi authorities detained the Omani co-pilot and moved him to a hospital for treatment.
Flydubai sent two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to repatriate passengers after an eight-hour delay.
Pilot Smit Machchhar, a New Zealand-trained Indian captain, was hospitalized in stable condition per India’s embassy.

Summary

Saudi officials investigate breach

Security analysts said the attack revealed cockpit-access vulnerabilities for flight-deck crew despite reinforced doors.
Saudi officials have not disclosed how a knife entered the Boeing 737 MAX 8 cockpit.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security kept TSA alert levels high after the midair attack.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said no evidence supports the jihadist label.
The 2022 Israel-UAE aviation-security pact will be re-examined following the incident.

History

Historical Context

In March 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps, killing all 150 occupants after co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately descended the Airbus A320. The tragedy prompted the European Aviation Safety Agency to issue a temporary rule that two authorized crew members remain in the cockpit, a measure later relaxed but influencing worldwide pilot-health monitoring.

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Netanyahu reports attempted crash

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Flydubai co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted a crash in Saudi Arabia.
Flight FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv with 172 people, including 169 Israeli citizens.
Three Israeli passengers and a crew member broke the cockpit door and restrained the attacker.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport after off-duty pilots helped stabilize it.

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