FlyDubai passenger jet pilots in bloody mid-air fight, Israeli media reports

Mystery surrounded the forced landing in Saudi Arabia of a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, as conflicting accounts of the incident raised fears of a possible hijacking.

Israeli media reported that a pilot had suffered multiple stab wounds in a midair fight with a colleague inside the cockpit.

FlighA flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv that declared an emergency during the flight landed at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, with a hijacking reportedly ruled out, The Times of Israel reported.

According to the report, the incident that prompted the aircraft to issue an “unlawful interference” signal was apparently caused by an altercation between the pilots aboard the flight, citing Israeli security sources.

The flight initially transmitted squawk code 7700, an international emergency signal, before sending code 7500, which indicates a hijacking or unlawful interference, according to flight-tracking data cited by The Times of Israel.t FZ1073 transmitted sqawk code 7700, indicating an emergency state at about 9am local time, prompting security systems to go on alert.A few minutes later, the pilot activated a code 7500, signifying a plane hijacking.

About 20 minutes later Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister held a security meeting as fears of a hijacking began to grow.

A report was then received stating that the plane was being diverted to Saudi Arabia with two Israeli fighter jets following.

In a statement confirming the incident FlyDubai said: “Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route.

“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,” it said.

“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” the airline said.

A statement from the Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk also confirmed that the FlyDubai plane made an emergency landing this morning at 8:44am.

The reason for the fight is not yet clear, but Israeli media cited passengers speaking of “amounts of blood in the cockpit.”

Videos circulating on social media appear to show passengers aboard a Flydubai flight, reportedly Israeli nationals, in distress.

A passenger reportedly had heard screaming and said that a man holding a knife had forced one of the pilots onto the floor, according to Reuters.

Arab News could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage or the circumstances in which it was recorded.

A passenger was quoted by i24News spoke of the moment he realised something was wrong, and how passengers thought they might die.

“For several minutes we were certain we will be murdered or crash … Screams were heard coming from the cockpit,” the passenger said.

“The Israeli passengers grabbed the attacker and pinned him to the floor … There were moments when we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive.”

Israel's far-right national security minister said the emergency landing was due to a "terrorist" who wanted to crash the plane and kill Israelis.

"The naive notion that our enemies cherish life and that we should pity them received another reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board," Itamar Ben Gvir said in a statement.