flydubai news: Report says flydubai flights to Israel halted over copilot's Omani background

flydubai news: Israeli transportation minister Miri Regev sought a halt to flydubai flights after unverified reports suggested the copilot was Omani. Flydubai's Israel agreement requires pilots to be from countries with normalised ties with Israel, which does not include Oman.

flydubai news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots who allegedly tried to crash a FlyDubai flight. (REUTERS)

flydubai news: This blog is now closed. Track latest updates on flydubai incident here. A copilot attacked the captain with a knife in an alleged attempt to crash a flydubai aircraft carrying 174 people to Israel on Wednesday. Passengers rushed into the cockpit and overpowered the attacker as the aircraft made a sharp descent, Israel’s government said. The pilot-in-command aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national....Read More

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• 1 Oct 2026, 09:59:32 AM IST

  This blog is closed.

  This live blog is closed. For the latest updates, please follow our new blog: flydubai incident live updates.

• 1 Oct 2026, 09:56:09 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Key developments so far

  flydubai incident LIVE: Here are the key developments so far:

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots who allegedly tried to crash a FlyDubai flight.
  • The pilot-in-command aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national.
  • FlyDubai said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while an investigation takes place. Saudi authorities also said an investigation was underway.
  • US President Donald Trump said the co-pilot was ‘perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job’.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a “hero” and said that he was “praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health”.
  • Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would investigate the "root" of the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash a flydubai flight bound for Israel.
• 1 Oct 2026, 09:27:11 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Ex-neighbour recalls Indian captain, 'talented, soft-spoken, a good man’

  flydubai incident LIVE: Dr Janit Shah, a former neighbour of Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar, described him as a “talented, soft-spoken, and good man”, saying he had known Machchhar for 10-15 years before the pilot moved to Dubai two-three years ago.

  Shah said he was “incredible” for saving 174 lives despite being stabbed, and expressed hope for his speedy recovery and for his family to recover from the shock, reported ANI.

• 1 Oct 2026, 09:05:53 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: flydubai passenger recalls incident in conversation with Netanyahu

  flydubai incident LIVE: An Israeli passenger on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv said he strangled the co-pilot and dragged him out of the cockpit after the ‘terrorist’ allegedly stabbed the captain and caused the aircraft to suddenly lose altitude on Wednesday.

  Yaniv Hayun told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he and other passengers stepped in after the injured captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, opened the cockpit door.

  Hayun and other passengers then entered the cockpit and restrained the alleged attacker, who was allegedly attempting to damage the aircraft's controls and disable the plane. Read full story here.

• 1 Oct 2026, 08:38:04 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel will get to the 'root' of incident, says Netanyahu

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would investigate the "root" of the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash a flydubai flight bound for Israel. He also said Israel would "possibly" take part in the investigation into the incident.

  "We'll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we'll find out very soon," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News on the network's "Hannity" programme.

• 1 Oct 2026, 08:20:26 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: What we know about Smit Machchhar, the ‘hero’ Indian pilot

  flydubai incident LIVE: Smit Machchhar has served as a captain on flydubai's Boeing 737 fleet since June 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. His profile shows 9,750 flying hours on the 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 and 9.

  Machchhar is from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai and was living in Dubai for work, people aware of the matter told HT. Read more details here.

• 1 Oct 2026, 08:07:54 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Report says flydubai flights to Israel halted over copilot's Omani background

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli transportation minister Miri Regev on Wednesday asked the Shin Bet (Israel security agency) to suspend all flydubai flights entering or leaving the country following the suspected attempted hijacking of a passenger aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a source in the ministry told The Jerusalem Post.

  The request came after unverified reports suggested that the co-pilot suspected of attempting to hijack the aircraft may be of Omani origin. Israeli sources later told the Post that initial investigations indicated that the suspected hijacker was believed to be an Omani national.

  Flydubai’s agreement to operate in Israel specifically requires all pilots to be nationals of countries that have normalised relations with Israel. Oman is not among those countries.

• 1 Oct 2026, 07:27:35 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Netanyahu says ‘too early to say’ on motive behind stabbing

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that it was too early to determine who was behind the failed attempt to crash a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, adding that Israel would "possibly" take part in the investigation.

  "It's too early to say, the attacking pilot is .. now being investigated in Saudi Arabia. I think he'll be taken to the Emirates, where he comes from, or at least where he left, where he flew off from, and we'll be following and possibly also participating in this investigation," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News on the network's "Hannity" programme.

  Netanyahu made the remarks while responding to a question on whether there was any indication of Iranian involvement in the incident.

• 1 Oct 2026, 07:13:06 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: ‘Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO’, says PM Modi

  flydubai incident LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a “hero” and said that he was “praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health”.

  “In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar,” Modi wrote on X.

• 1 Oct 2026, 06:56:56 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel to ramp up pilot checks

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel plans to tighten security checks for pilots flying into the country, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office said, after alleging that a flydubai co-pilot stabbed the pilot and tried to crash the aircraft while it was headed to Tel Aviv.

  "Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Reuters.

  He said Netanyahu had directed authorities to "ramp up security" on flights to Israel operated by both Israeli and foreign airlines.

• 1 Oct 2026, 06:44:26 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: Trump calls flydubai pilot ‘a hero’

  Flydubai incident LIVE: US President Donald Trump praised the flydubai pilot as a "hero" after he fought off a knife attack by his co-pilot, opened the cockpit door and called for help, preventing an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft.

  "The pilot was in very bad shape; I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero," Trump said while recalling his conversation with Netanyahu.

• 1 Oct 2026, 06:32:29 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: Captain Smit Machchhar hails from Mumbai

  Flydubai incident LIVE: Captain Smit Machchhar hails from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai and was living in Dubai for work, people familiar with the matter told HT.

  Machchhar underwent surgery and is in stable condition, while the co-pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities.

• 1 Oct 2026, 06:28:16 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: ‘Terrorist or whack job’, says Trump on flydubai incident

  Flydubai incident LIVE: US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the mid-air scare on flydubai flight.

  Speaking to the media about the incident, Trump said, "I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu about this incident. It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot. The pilot was in very bad shape. But in a way, he was a hero to open the door."

  Trump also praised the passenger’s “amazing” efforts to overpower the attacker.

• 1 Oct 2026, 05:54:27 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: Four US citizens were among passengers on flight

  Four American citizens who also hold Israeli nationality were among the passengers on the Israel-bound Flydubai flight, according to two US officials.

  The passengers later reached Israel safely on a replacement Flydubai flight after the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

  The flight had plunged thousands of feet after one pilot allegedly stabbed the other in the cockpit. Passenger Assaf Rajuan said the attacker was “neutralized” by passengers and crew.

• 1 Oct 2026, 05:46:28 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: US Senator Tim Sheehy praises Indian pilot Smit Machchhar

  US Senator Tim Sheehy, who is also a certified pilot, praised Indian Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar for his actions during the cockpit attack.

  Sheehy highlighted Machchhar’s response after he was stabbed, as the pilot worked to keep the passenger jet under control and helped create an opportunity for others on board to intervene.

  Machchhar’s actions have drawn praise from officials and passengers following the incident.

• 1 Oct 2026, 05:17:09 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: Israel calls injured Indian captain a hero

  Israel’s Foreign Ministry called Flydubai Flight 1073 captain Smit Machchhar a “hero” after he was stabbed in the cockpit.

  The ministry said Machchhar, despite being seriously injured, managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing Israeli passengers and Emirati crew members to intervene. It said their actions helped save all 174 people on board.

  The ministry praised the Indian, Israeli and Emirati passengers and crew for their courage and wished Machchhar a full recovery.

• 1 Oct 2026, 03:50:54 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: Trump praises pilot and passenger after cockpit attack

  US President Donald Trump praised Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and an Israeli passenger after the cockpit attack on the flight.

  Trump described the pilot and passenger as heroes, saying the pilot managed to “level out the plane” after being attacked, while the passenger helped remove the attacker from the cockpit.

  Trump also said the pilot had the presence of mind to open the cockpit door after being stabbed, allowing passengers and crew to intervene.

• 1 Oct 2026, 03:08:40 AM IST

  Flydubai incident LIVE: Passenger says attacker was ‘neutralized’ quickly

  A passenger on the Flydubai flight said the man who attacked the Indian pilot was “neutralized” by passengers and crew, as per CNN.

  Assaf Rajuan said he and about five others helped restrain the attacker after the cockpit door opened.

  He told CNN, “It wasn’t a prolonged battle; we neutralized him very quickly.” Rajuan said the injured pilot was “wheezing” and unable to speak.

  Another passenger, dentist Shota Musaev, said the attacker was restrained using zip ties and headphone cords.

• 1 Oct 2026, 12:36:23 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel's Netanyahu ‘salutes’ Captain Smit Machchhar for ‘extraordinary bravery’

  Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the “extraordinary bravery" of Captain Smit Machchhar with a post on X. He commended Captain Machchhar for "preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster."

  "Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," Netanyahu wrote. "He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals."

• 1 Oct 2026, 12:18:13 AM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Airline suspends flight to Tel Aviv for six days

  flydubai is working with investigating authorities to understand what led to the incident. For the next six days, the airline is canceling all its flights to Tel Aviv. flydubai has 10 scheduled flights daily between Dubai and Tel Aviv.

• 30 Sept 2026, 11:55:20 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Captain Smit Machchhar's brother also joined flydubai

  The brother of Captain Smit Machchhar is also a pilot and recently joined flydubai. But he is yet to start flying with the carrier.

• 30 Sept 2026, 11:41:43 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Two pilots flying as passengers took control after stabbing

  Two Flydubai pilots flying as passengers took control after the altercation. To be sure, it is not clear how the pilot managed to open the door or how these pilots were able to get in the cockpit since the door was closed at the time of the altercation.

• 30 Sept 2026, 11:26:43 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Indian captain Smit Machchhar's leave for Saudi Arabia

  The parents of the Indian captain Smit Machchhar's parents left for Saudi Arabia where Machchhar is being rehabilitated after the incident with Omani copilot. Machchhar's extended family is currently staying in Ghatkopar, a Mumbai suburb.

• 30 Sept 2026, 10:54:23 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Indian captain fought off co-pilot who tried to crash plane, says Israeli media

  flydubai incident LIVE: An Indian captain of a Dubai-Tel Aviv Flydubai flight fought off his co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft, which had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Israeli media reports said on Wednesday.

  News website Ynet, citing Israeli officials, reported that the co-pilot was an Omani national and was suspected of trying to crash the aircraft. The Indian captain fought with him to prevent the aircraft from crashing, with Israeli passengers later helping subdue the co-pilot, the report said.

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with passengers on board.

  In a statement, Netanyahu 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 break into the cockpit and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems.

  According to Netanyahu, another crew member then entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft.
  
  (PTI)

• 30 Sept 2026, 10:27:03 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: flydubai rescue flight from Saudi Arabia lands at Ben Gurion Airport

  flydubai incident LIVE: The flydubai rescue flight from Saudi Arabia has landed at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, carrying passengers from an earlier diverted flydubai flight, The Times of Israel reported.

  According to The Times of Israel, the rescue flight carried about 180 passengers from the diverted Tel Aviv-bound flight, most Israelis.

  The flight was diverted amid an altercation in the cockpit, when the passengers in civilian clothes made an emergency landing at the Tabuk airport.

  The pilot who was stabbed and severely wounded aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, was an Indian national, Israel’s i24 News reported.

  The Indian national reportedly got into the altercation to prevent an alleged attempt to crash the plane.
  (ANI)

• 30 Sept 2026, 10:24:56 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel PM says one of the pilots of rerouted flight tried to crash plane

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that one of the pilots of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight had tried to crash the plane and kill its passengers, after the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

  Passengers gave a similar account of the incident on board, describing a fight for control after the plane suddenly plummeted, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website.

  Flydubai said all the passengers -- of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports -- were safe, adding that the reasons for the altercation were unknown.
  
  (AFP)

• 30 Sept 2026, 10:13:12 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel PM meets passengers of diverted flydubai flight at Tel Aviv airport, says spokesman

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met passengers of a diverted flydubai flight at Tel Aviv airport, his spokesman said.

• 30 Sept 2026, 09:32:15 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Indian pilot saves 180 lives aboard flydubai flight; Israel says 'salutes the heroes'

  flydubai incident LIVE: The pilot who was stabbed and severely wounded aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, was an Indian national, Israel’s i24 News reported.

  The flight was diverted amid an altercation between the two pilots. The Indian national, reportedly, got into the altercation to prevent an alleged attempt to crash the plane.

  According to an i24 News correspondent, Ariel Oseran, Indian Captain Smit Machchhar is based in Dubai.

  A “severe disaster” was averted, an Israeli official said, as a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, amid the altercation in the cockpit, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

  Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the evidence indicates that the flydubai pilot stabbed his fellow pilot. He claimed an intention to crash the plane.

  Referring to the Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight, which diverted to Saudi Arabia and made an emergency landing at the Tabuk airport, Netanyahu said an Israeli passenger with whom he spoke, and one of the crew members, managed to stop the pilot as he was attempting to damage the plane’s systems.

  In a video statement, as reported by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu described the incident as “an extremely serious security incident.”

  He said that another crew member entered the cockpit and managed to stabilise the plane.

  He noted that Saudi Arabia’s authorities are interrogating the suspect.

  Netanyahu said he “salutes the heroes” who saved the lives of the passengers, according to The Times of Israel.

  (ANI)

• 30 Sept 2026, 09:19:57 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Rescue flight carrying passengers from Saudi Arabia lands in Israel

  flydubai incident LIVE: A flydubai rescue flight carrying passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia has arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport.

• 30 Sept 2026, 09:05:21 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: How flydubai's Indian pilot saved 180 lives after being stabbed by co-pilot on Dubai-Tel Aviv plane

  flydubai incident LIVE: A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv narrowly avoided catastrophe on Wednesday after one of the pilots allegedly stabbed his colleague and attempted to bring down the aircraft, forcing the Boeing 737 into a steep descent before an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:56:59 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Indian pilot Smit Machchhar undergoes surgery after cockpit stabbing, now stable

  flydubai incident LIVE: Mumbai-based pilot Smit Machchhar underwent surgery after being stabbed in the cockpit and is now in stable condition.

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:44:29 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Who is Smit Machchhar? Indian pilot stabbed, worked with SpiceJet

  flydubai incident LIVE: Machchhar has been a captain on flydubai's Boeing 737 fleet since June 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that he spent 11 years at SpiceJet in Mumbai, where he was a senior commander and, from November 2020, a line training captain who trained and checked other pilots. The profile lists 9,750 flying hours on the 737-800 and the 737 MAX 8 and 9. Read more here

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:40:08 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Saudi Arabia rejects Israeli request to allow planes to pick up stranded Israeli passengers

  flydubai incident LIVE: Saudi Arabia has rejected an Israeli request to allow its planes to enter its region and pick up stranded Israeli passengers, security sources were quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:28:48 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: ‘Terrorist’ on flydubai wanted to crash plane, kill Israelis on board, says Israel security minister

  flydubai incident LIVE: The flydubai incident in which a plane travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted and made a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia was a “terrorist” attack, claims Israel.

  Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's security minister, said that “terrorist” wanted to crash Flydubai's FZ1073 plane to kill Israelis, according to AFP.

  However, initially, Doron Spielman, who is a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, had told Reuters that the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking and described it as a “different incident”.

  Read more here

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:22:21 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Stabbed flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar is Indian national, worked with SpiceJet earlier

  flydubai incident LIVE: The pilot stabbed during Wednesday's incident on flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv is Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, people aware of the matter said. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was diverted to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia, where Machchhar and his co-pilot were taken to hospital. His condition was not immediately known.
  
  Machchhar has been a captain on flydubai's Boeing 737 fleet since June 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that he spent 11 years at SpiceJet in Mumbai, where he was a senior commander and, from November 2020, a line training captain who trained and checked other pilots. The profile lists 9,750 flying hours on the 737-800 and the 737 MAX 8 and 9. Read more here

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:13:23 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel defence minister says flydubai incident 'attempted jihadist terror attack'

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel's defence minister on Wednesday called an incident on board a Tel Aviv-bound plane an "attempted jihadist terror attack," after it made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia due to a reported fight between the pilots.

  "The serious incident on the flydubai plane was an attempted jihadist terror attack, which was thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist, and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to an additional flight crew that was present there," Israel Katz said, according to a statement.

  (AFP)

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:10:08 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Flydubai says reason for mid-air altercation is ‘unknown,’ says spokesperson

  flydubai incident LIVE: UAE based airliner Flydubai on Wednesday said the reasons for an altercation that "occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073" remained unknown and were under formal investigation, according to a spokesperson.

  "At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts," a flydubai spokesperson said in a statement.

  (AFP)

• 30 Sept 2026, 08:01:05 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Passengers held stabbing co-pilot down, other pilots landed plane, says Netanyahu

  flydubai incident LIVE: The co-pilot of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv tried to crash the plane after stabbing the pilot, but passengers then held him down while other pilots landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

  Describing the event as "a highly severe security incident," Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.

  The alleged assailant, who an Israeli official identified as an Omani national, was arrested after the plane landed, Netanyahu said.

  "All passengers are out of harm's way," Netanyahu, who described the passengers as being almost all Israeli, said in a video statement released by his office.

  The Israeli leader quoted a passenger as saying that passengers along with a member of the crew broke into the cockpit after the aircraft "entered a tailspin and began to dive" and found the co-pilot "trying to sabotage the plane's systems."

  (Via Reuters)

• 30 Sept 2026, 07:50:23 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Refrain premature speculation, says airline

  flydubai incident LIVE | Here's what flydubai spokesperson said on the incident on flight FZ 1073:

  An altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), on 30 September.

  The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU). All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for.

  We have deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to relieve the passengers and crew.

  This incident has no impact on other scheduled operations across the flydubai network.

  At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.

  Our immediate priority is to ensure the ongoing safety, health, and wellbeing of all passengers and crew members involved in this incident and support the official investigation.

• 30 Sept 2026, 07:29:04 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Passengers of flight involved in hijacking scare depart for Tel Aviv

  flydubai incident LIVE: A passenger onboard the flight to Israel that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday told AFP news agency that they have now departed Tabuk for Tel Aviv on a new plane.

  The passenger told via text that the new flight had already boarded and departed.

• 30 Sept 2026, 07:26:01 PM IST

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel says flydubai incident 'attempted jihadist terror attack'

  flydubai incident LIVE: Israel defence minister says flydubai incident 'attempted jihadist terror attack', reports AFP news agency.

• 30 Sept 2026, 07:23:43 PM IST

  flydubai hijacking scare LIVE: Saudi arrests flydubai pilot who ‘tried to crash plane’, stabbed Indian co-pilot

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots who apparently tried to bring down a FlyDubai flight full of Israelis.

  Netanyahu said that pilot of the flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv had planned to crash it and kill its mostly Israeli passengers, who stopped a "major disaster".

  "During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," Netanyahu said in a video message, calling the passengers "heroes" who "prevented a major disaster".