October 1, 2026 — flydubai (FZ) has stopped all flights to and from Israel after a violent fight on the flight deck forced a Dubai–Tel Aviv Boeing 737 MAX to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, September 30.
What happened
Flight FZ1073 left Dubai at 7:05 a.m. local time on September 30 with about 180 people on board, according to One Mile at a Time. More than two hours into the trip, over northern Saudi Arabia, the two pilots began fighting. Reports say the first officer, an Omani national, attacked the captain, an Indian national, with a blade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other.
The jet lost height very quickly. The figures differ by outlet: The National reported about 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, One Mile at a Time reported a fall from 34,000 to 19,000 feet in just over a minute, and AirlineGeeks put the drop at more than 17,000 feet. The aircraft squawked 7500, the code for unlawful interference, and Israeli fighter jets were scrambled. The rudder was reportedly damaged.
Crew and passengers subdued the attacker. Two off-duty pilots who were flying as passengers took the controls and landed safely in Tabuk. No passenger injuries were reported, and the captain survived. Israeli officials have called it an attempted hijacking, though AirlineGeeks reports they are divided on whether the motive was terrorism or a suicide attempt.
The suspension at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scope | All flydubai flights to and from Israel |
| Effective | Immediately (announced September 30, 2026) |
| End date | TBA — lasts while investigators work out what happened |
| Emirates codeshare | Emirates (EK) has also suspended its codeshare on flydubai’s UAE–Tel Aviv flights |
| Passengers | Travelers ending their trip in Tel Aviv will not be accepted at their origin; contact your travel agent, the Emirates contact center or flydubai’s website |
| Investigation | Under way; Israeli authorities have opened a probe into the first officer. Lead investigating bodies TBA |
What it means for non-revs
- Tel Aviv via Dubai is off the table for now. With flydubai and the Emirates codeshare both suspended, don’t build any pass, ZED or interline trip to TLV through DXB until a restart date is published.
- Expect fuller flights on the remaining Israel options. Displaced flydubai passengers must rebook on other carriers, which will squeeze standby seats into and out of Tel Aviv.
- Security rules could change quickly. An event like this can bring new flight-deck access and crew-screening measures. Check jumpseat and cockpit-access rules before relying on them, especially on Gulf carriers.
- Off-duty crew made the difference. Two off-duty pilots in the cabin helped land the aircraft. It’s a good time to review your own airline’s rules on identifying yourself to the operating crew when traveling on a pass.
Sources
- One Mile at a Time — Terrifying: Flydubai 737 Plunges 15K Feet After Bloody Cockpit Fight, Hijacking Code
- The National — Flydubai suspends Israel flights after mid-air security incident
- AirlineGeeks — Israel: Flydubai Incident Was An Attempted Hijacking
- FlightGlobal — Flydubai suspends flights to Israel as investigation begins into 737 cockpit incident
