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(https://rumcdn.geoedge.be/f7ae3efe-f9e8-44be-8cf9-3b564afd5f4b/grumi-ip.js)  (https://widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js)  (https://btloader.com/tag?o=5119785225420800&upapi=true)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-T4BJGTM)   (../manifest.json)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-16.png)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-32.png)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-192.png)  (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-180.png)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js)  Israel: Flydubai pilot tried to hijack Tel Aviv flight, all passengers safe | The Jerusalem Post      (article-910155.html)                     (Jerusalem Post) (https://www.jpost.com/) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News)    (CONFERENCES) (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) CONFERENCES  (ISRAEL NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news) ISRAEL NEWS  (WORLD NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/international) WORLD NEWS  (MIDDLE EAST) (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) MIDDLE EAST  (BUSINESS & INNOVATION) (https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation) BUSINESS & INNOVATION  (DEFENSE & TECH) (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (OPINION) (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  (JP STORE) (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE   (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login    (Search) ()           (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login (https://payments.jpost.com/paywall/paywallpersonaldetails) Subscribe    (https://www.jpost.com/magazineprint/digitallibrary) JPOST DIGITAL LIBRARY  (https://www.jpost.com/) HOME PAGE  (https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report) THE JERUSALEM REPORT  (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/education) JPOST HIGHER EDUCATION  (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  BUSINESS & INNOVATION      (https://realestate.jpost.com/) REAL ESTATE LISTINGS  (https://www.jpost.com/aliyah) ALIYAH  (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) JERUSALEM POST CONFERENCE  PREMIUM      (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE  Categories  ISRAEL NEWS      WORLD NEWS      MIDDLE EAST      (https://www.jpost.com/american-politics) US POLITICS  DIASPORA      (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  PODCAST      JUDAISM      (https://www.jpost.com/kabbalah) KABBALAH  CHRISTIAN WORLD      HEALTH & WELLNESS      (https://www.jpost.com/science) SCIENCE  (https://www.jpost.com/law) LAW  ARCHAEOLOGY      (https://www.jpost.com/omg) OMG  (https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change) ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE  (https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes) FOOD & RECIPES  (https://www.jpost.com/history) HISTORY   (https://www.jpost.com/special-content) SPONSORED CONTENT  (https://www.jpost.com/advertise) ADVERTISE WITH US  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/termsofservice.aspx) TERMS OF USE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/privacypolicy.aspx) PRIVACY POLICY  (https://www.jpost.com/contactus) CONTACT US  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service/cancel-subscription) CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service) CUSTOMER SERVICE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/aboutus.aspx) ABOUT US       (https://www.jpost.com/) Jerusalem Post /  (https://www.jpost.com/international) World News   Israel says pilot tried to hijack flydubai flight to Tel Aviv that diverted, landed in Saudi Arabia Israeli official says “major disaster avoided” after pilot stabbed his co-pilot, attempted to hijack aircraft with over 100 Israeli passengers • Israelis on board helped subdue would-be hijacker  (Share)         (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google     (Damage done to rudder of flydubai flight after suspected attempted hijacking, September 30, 2026.) (Damage done to rudder of flydubai flight after suspected attempted hijacking, September 30, 2026.)   Damage done to rudder of flydubai flight after suspected attempted hijacking, September 30, 2026. (photo credit: COURTESY )    By (https://www.jpost.com/author/amichai-stein) AMICHAI STEIN ,  (https://www.jpost.com/author/james-genn) JAMES GENN ,  (https://www.jpost.com/author/yonah-jeremy-bob) YONAH JEREMY BOB    SEPTEMBER 30, 2026 09:31  Updated:  SEPTEMBER 30, 2026 12:42   A flydubai commercial passenger aircraft flying from (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-910169) Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to and landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning after what Israeli officials said was an attempted hijacking by one of the pilots that led to a mid-air altercation.  An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post a “major disaster was narrowly avoided” amid growing fears that one of the pilots attempted to (https://www.jpost.com/international/article-910166) hijack the plane with the intention of crashing it into the ground. Additional flight crew, aided by Israelis on board the flight, managed to subdue the pilot and bring him under control, the official told the Post .   The growing assessment among the Israeli security establishment, including the IDF, Mossad, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), is that the incident was intended as an act of terror.  During the altercation, the aircraft plunged approximately 4,000 meters in altitude, the official noted.  The aircraft, operating as flight FZ1073 and carrying over 100 Israeli passengers, initially transmitted squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency, before switching to 7500, which signals unlawful interference, and later reverting to the initial code.   (Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport, also known as Tabuk Airport, September 11, 2017)  Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport, also known as Tabuk Airport, September 11, 2017 (credit: Wikimedia Commons)    As the incident unfolded, the Israel Air Force (IAF) scrambled fighter jets in preparation for a possible emergency and raised its alert level, Walla reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened a security meeting with defense officials, thePost learned.  "The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel," the Prime Minister's Office said following the consultations.  Israeli airspace was also temporarily closed and later reopened after the plane landed in (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-910127) Saudi Arabia . It landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport, also known as Tabuk Airport, the airline confirmed.   The Emirati airline is set to send another aircraft to Saudi Arabia to bring the passengers back to Tel Aviv.  Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir were also considering the possibility of dispatching Israeli military or civilian aircraft in order to bring the Israelis home, Walla learned.   Zamir canceled his planned trip to the US due to the ongoing situation. Zamir was slated to meet with US Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper, the Post confirmed.  Israeli official: Pilot attempted to hijack aircraft, major disaster averted  Authorities were investigating what happened aboard the flight, including the identity and background of the pilot who allegedly stabbed the other pilot. It was reported that the altercation between the pilots, which later escalated to include Israeli passengers and the crew onboard, included the stabbing of one of the pilots.  An Israeli official said it remains unclear what the pilot was attempting to do - whether he intended to hijack the plane to Israel, crash it into the ground, or carry out a September 11-style attack. What is clear, the official said, is that he wanted to hijack the aircraft.  The official said authorities are still working to determine the identity of the pilot who carried out the stabbing. They are also investigating a suspicion that the pilot may be Middle Eastern.  The suspected terror hijacker is believed to be of Omani nationality, according to initial investigations, Israeli sources told the Post .  Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said that her daughter had told her that she had heard screaming and that a man took a knife, put the pilot on the floor, and that there was blood everywhere.  Israelis rushed to stop suspected terrorist from stabbing pilot, force him out of cockpit, passenger tells 'Post'  An Israeli passenger aboard the flight told the Post that one pilot stabbed another and tried to force him out of the cockpit as the aircraft began to plunge.  The passenger said Israelis seated near the front rushed to the cockpit and fought the attacker while the plane was diving. Two other pilots seated at the back initially appeared to be in shock. “I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane,” the passenger said.  According to the passenger, the group managed to remove the attacker from the cockpit and get the two other pilots inside. One took control of the aircraft, while the other took longer to recover from the shock.  The passenger described the stabbed pilot as being in critical condition and said an Israeli dentist on board treated him and saved his life.  All passengers safe and accounted for, flydubai says  “Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben-Gurion Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route," flydubai said.  "The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU), and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” the airline added.  It is not the first time a flight between Israel and the UAE has landed in Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-868478) emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 due to a medical emergency, the Post reported at the time.  Similar incidents elsewhere have led to immediate suspensions.  In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after physically confronting each other in the cockpit during a flight from Geneva to Paris.  Crew members had to separate them, and one of the pilots remained in the cockpit until landing. An even more serious incident occurred in 2009 on an Air India flight from Sharjah, UAE, to New Delhi, India, when pilots and crew members exchanged blows, and the altercation spilled over from the cockpit into the aircraft's galley. Two pilots and two crew members were suspended, and police launched an investigation.  Amir Bohbot, Eli Leon, and Reuters contributed to this report.      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