Dubai: An Indian national was the captain of a Flydubai flight who fought with his co-pilot during a violent cockpit confrontation that forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Israeli news website Ynet reported Wednesday.
Ynet, citing Israeli officials, reported that the co-pilot was an Omani national and was suspected of trying to crash the aircraft. The captain fought with him to prevent the aircraft from crashing, with Israeli passengers later helping subdue the co-pilot, the report said.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with passengers on board.
“During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board,” Netanyahu said.
He said an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began descending, after which the passenger and a crew member managed to enter the cockpit and overpower the pilot who had carried out the stabbing.
According to Netanyahu, another crew member then entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft. “I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster,” he said.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, and all passengers were out of danger, Netanyahu said. He also said the pilot who carried out the stabbing had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.
The Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were injured and hospitalised, the Tabuk airport authorities said.
Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an in-flight incident and landed safely in Tabuk. The airline said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and that all passengers were safe.
The airline has not released the identity or nationality of the pilots.
Israeli authorities feared a possible hijacking and scrambled fighter jets. The incident remains under investigation.
Passenger accounts of the incident also emerged in Israeli media.
Zvika Manes, a passenger who said he helped subdue the alleged attacker, told Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist that his wife heard shouting and screams near the cockpit before he and others intervened. “I’m covered in blood. It was insane,” he said, according to Ynet.
Another passenger, Dalia Shpigel, told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that there were “terrible screams throughout the plane” before “three to five guys burst into the cockpit” and subdued the attacker.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv Wednesday when a violent incident involving the pilots occurred. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, according to Ynet.
Flight-tracking data analysed by BBC Verify showed the aircraft cruising at about 34,000 feet before plunging around 17,000 feet, climbing 5,000 feet and then descending another 7,000 feet to settle at about 15,000 feet, all within less than five minutes.
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