Flydubai flight FZ1073 diverted after co‑pilot attacked captain with axe

On 30 September 2026 flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai for Tel Aviv when the co‑pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to take control of the Boeing 737, causing a loss of about 16,600‑14,000 feet of altitude in roughly 30 seconds before passengers and crew intervened; the aircraft diverted and made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, with all 172 people on board safe.

Saudi Arabia has opened an air‑safety investigation while the United Arab Emirates has launched a criminal probe treating the event as a terrorist attack; the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has assigned a representative, New Zealand police are examining the co‑pilot’s prior training there, and the UAE Attorney‑General confirmed the axe attack.

Following the incident Emirates suspended its codeshare with flydubai on Israel‑related routes and Arkia cancelled all repatriation flights from Dubai to Israel.