Andrea Innocenti Flight FZ1073, which departed Dubai at 7:05 a.m., was bound for Ben Gurion Airport. There were 174 passengers on board , including 27 children, when, at 9:21 a.m. local time, the cockpit was the scene of a heated exchange between the two Flydubai pilots . A man, identified as an Omani citizen, allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft, while the co-pilot, an Emirati national, attempted to resist him.
The flight accident: chronology of events
At 9:21 a.m., the first changes in altitude were recorded; a minute later, the plane lost 14,000 feet in less than thirty seconds, entering a near-vertical descent. During this time, the transponder briefly sent the code 7700 (general emergency) and, immediately after, the 7500 diversion signal, before returning to 7700 at 9:38 a.m.
The 7500 code indicates unauthorized intervention on board, typically associated with a hijacking . Following these alerts, the plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
Emergency communications
Saudi authorities launched an investigation called a "hijack" and ordered an emergency landing at Tabuk airport. The intervention took place at 10:45 a.m. local time, while the plane was still in automatic flight, and the only operation required by the onboard team was the frequency switch from Saudi to Jordanian controllers, according to standard procedures.
Reactions on board and response from the authorities
According to witnesses, the fight escalated into a physical altercation in the cockpit, culminating in the captain being stabbed with a knife. A female passenger described scenes of blood and screams, adding that several Israeli passengers, along with the crew, suddenly restrained the attacker. "We prayed, Shema Yisrael ," one of the women on board reported, while other passengers said they feared for their lives.
At least two plainclothes Israeli security officers were present inside the plane, who helped immobilize the hostile pilot. After their intervention, the aircraft resumed a controlled descent, but its rapid loss of altitude had already caused panic among the passengers.
The Israeli Air Force was urgently mobilized; two fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the aircraft, but Jordan also confirmed its decision not to allow it into Israeli airspace. The Israeli government arranged for the passengers to be transferred to Tel Aviv on a military aircraft, deeming it unsafe to continue the flight on another Flydubai aircraft.
The incident has fueled speculation that the Omani pilot attempted suicide, or that it was a terrorist attack aimed at crashing the plane into a sensitive target. The investigation, involving Saudi and Israeli authorities, and the airline, continues to examine the attacker's motives and the exact circumstances of the incident.