A plane lands in Saudi Arabia after alarm signals. Passengers intervene to stop the assailant. The airline confirms the scuffle in the cabin.
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after sending distress signals for a possible hijacking. The airline confirmed that the two pilots, one of Russian origin and the other Ukrainian, had a scuffle in the cockpit during the flight, until one of them lost consciousness.
According to reconstructions, one of the pilots attempted to cause a crash, but the other, with the help of some Israeli passengers, managed to thwart the attempt. The aircraft, a Boeing 737 with 174 people on board, first transmitted the general emergency code 7700 and then the code 7500 associated with unlawful interference, prompting Israeli fighter jets to scramble. After descending more than 14,000 feet in 29 seconds, the plane landed safely in Tabuk.
A video posted by a passenger shows the captain on the ground between the cabin and the aisle, covered in blood but alert, and the injured co-pilot. Passengers recounted moments of panic and described how they managed to restrain the assailant using headphone cables.
The incident occurs within the context of Russia-Ukraine relations, which have been in conflict since 2022. The presence of a Russian pilot and a Ukrainian pilot in the same cockpit reflects the complex dynamics of the international civil aviation sector, where multinational crews are common, but geopolitical tensions can also spill over into professional environments.
Flight FZ1073 was operating on the route between Dubai and Tel Aviv, which has become particularly busy after the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in 2020. This historic agreement, known as the Abraham Accords, opened up tourism and trade, making Dubai a popular destination for Israeli citizens. Today's incident shows how international tensions can manifest unpredictably, even at thousands of meters in altitude.
The emergency codes used (7700 for general emergency and 7500 for hijacking) are international civil aviation standards. The activation of the 7500 code immediately triggered national security protocols, with the Israeli military response reflecting the high level of alert in the region. The intervention of the passengers, some of whom were Israeli citizens, helped prevent more serious outcomes.
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