Flydubai flight faces cockpit attack and emergency landing

Cockpit intrusion

Passenger Daniel Slicher reported that two off‑duty pilots were present in the cockpit during the incident, and they later announced that the plane had landed after roughly 45 minutes.

Attack by second pilot

According to a report, the second pilot of a Flydubai aircraft with 180 passengers injured the commander and directed the aircraft into a steep pitch in an attempt to crash the plane on 30 September.

Another account states that the co‑pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073, who had previously been employed by Oman Air, used a knife to attack the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Crew and passenger response

Several crew members and passengers entered the cockpit to neutralize the attacker, and passengers were able to control the co‑pilot when the captain tried to open the cockpit.

Legal and investigative actions

UAE prosecutor Saif Al‑Shamsi classified the incident as a terrorist attack, and the suspect was transferred to the UAE for a terrorism investigation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspect had undergone a process of radicalization.