Co-pilot overpowered after reported attack on Flydubai flight

Passengers and crew members helped overpower a co-pilot after an incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv forced the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia.

Flight FZ1073 landed safely in Saudi Arabia on 30 September after what Flydubai described as an “incident” during the flight. Passengers later continued to Israel on a replacement aircraft after spending about eight hours on the ground.

Israeli officials said the co-pilot attacked the pilot with a knife and attempted to interfere with the aircraft’s controls. They described the incident as an attempted hijacking and an act of terrorism.

According to reports by CNBC, ABC News, Reuters and CNN, passengers intervened after the aircraft reportedly lost altitude. Several passengers and crew members entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker, allowing another crew member to assist in bringing the aircraft under control.

Passenger Assaf Rajuan told CNN that he and about five others helped restrain the attacker. Another passenger, identified by Reuters as Italie, described repeated drops in altitude lasting between 20 and 30 seconds before the aircraft levelled out.

Israeli officials said the aircraft was carrying more than 170 Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspected attacker was arrested after the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia.

The incident has prompted conflicting accounts of some details. Reports have differed over the precise identity and role of the person who was attacked, while Israeli officials' description of the incident as terrorism has not been independently established.

The Gazette has also not found a detailed account from Flydubai, UAE authorities or Saudi authorities explaining the incident. The identity and nationality of the suspected attacker have not been independently confirmed, and no charges had been reported at the time of publication.