flydubai Scare: A fresh detail has emerged in the flydubai scare involving Flight FZ1073, which was forced to make an emergency landing following a reported fight between the pilots. According to Israeli television channel N12, one of the pilots was reportedly of Russian origin, while the other was from Ukraine. The aircraft later landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, which hosts both civilian and military facilities.
The incident comes after a flydubai jet carrying around 180 Israeli passengers was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals, including a code associated with a possible hijacking, shortly after departing Dubai for Tel Aviv. Passengers reportedly helped the crew restrain an attacker, The Times of Israel reported.
A passenger reportedly told Israeli media that "someone had entered the cockpit with knife." The first images to emerge from the troubled flight showed a passenger wearing a blood-stained T-shirt, following reports of an altercation inside the cockpit. However, the exact reason for the chaos remains unclear.
Here are the latest updates:
- According to Israeli television channel N12, one of the pilots was reportedly of Russian origin, while the other was from Ukraine.
- A video posted by Israel Public media shows moments after the aircraft arrived at Tabuk Airport. Passengers can be heard singing, clapping and celebrating as the plane lands safely in Tabuk.
The song name is "Od Avinu Chai", a Hebrew phrase that translates to "Our Father still lives."
-A passenger sharing her ordeal said she heard screams before the cockpit was opened and blood was seen inside.
"We heard screams on the plane. Then they opened the cockpit, and we saw blood, and someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife,” the unnamed woman told the network via text message, according to The Times of Israel.
-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said the situation was under control and that Israel was working to bring the passengers home.
"The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel"
-The unusual flight path briefly raised concerns about a possible hijacking.
-As per Israeli media reports, there are also claims that one of the pilots deliberately tried to crash the plane in an apparent attempt to take his own life and sharply pointed the airliner downward. The second pilot reportedly engaged him in a struggle and managed to stop the descent with the help of some passengers. However, Israeli authorities are yet to confirm these claims.
-According to passengers cited by AP, everyone on board was safe after the landing. They said passengers remained on the aircraft while a heavy presence of Saudi security forces surrounded the plane.
-flydubai later confirmed that Flight FZ1073, which was en route to Ben Gurion Airport, had experienced an incident and landed safely in Tabuk on Wednesday.
"Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities," the airline said. "Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available."
-FlightRadar24 data showed that around two and a half hours after leaving Dubai, the aircraft abruptly descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within a minute. It then made an erratic circle near the Jordanian border before eventually landing in Tabuk about an hour later.
-The aircraft had switched to code 7500, an internationally recognised signal for unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking.
-One pilot allegedly stabbed the other with a folding knife, according to reports. Passengers and crew members intervened to subdue the attacker before the aircraft made an emergency landing, IANS reported.
-The aircraft descended about 17,400 feet in roughly two minutes before the first emergency signal was transmitted.