Flydubai Flight FZ1073: Emergency Landing in Tabuk and Emirati-Saudi Investigations

⏱️ Timeline

1. 30 Sep 2026, 22:52 Flydubai announced the suspension of its flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues into the incident that occurred on a flight from Dubai to Israel, a decision the company said came as it follows the findings of the ongoing investigation.
2. 1 Oct 2026, 04:21 Initial details of the incident emerged: flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing on Wednesday at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia after a violent clash between the pilots who triggered the emergency codes 7700 and 7500, and the captain and his co-pilot were taken to hospital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied the plane had been hijacked and said "the situation is under control", while two Israeli fighter jets were scrambled.
3. 1 Oct 2026, 08:32 The Saudi Interior Ministry announced that preliminary investigations indicate that the co-pilot on board the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv assaulted the captain, forcing the plane, carrying 174 passengers including 166 Israelis, to make an emergency landing at Tabuk airport. A responsible source said the captain and co-pilot left for Abu Dhabi after the medical team allowed it, and that the preliminary investigations were conducted by the competent authorities in the Kingdom with the participation of an Emirati security team.
4. 1 Oct 2026, 09:00 The Emirati judiciary opened an investigation into the Flydubai incident, in which the plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk after its captain was stabbed inside the cockpit; UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered the formation of a specialised public prosecution team to investigate, in coordination with the General Civil Aviation Authority and the relevant authorities. International reactions varied between widespread praise describing the Indian pilot as a hero and questioning Netanyahu's political use of the incident, while Netanyahu said it was too early to determine Iran's role and denied any prior warnings.
5. 1 Oct 2026, 16:14 The Israeli Ministry of Transport announced that local airlines are preparing, starting Friday, to operate special flights from Dubai to Ben Gurion airport to bring back Israelis stranded in the UAE, after Flydubai suspended its flights to Israel amid the investigation into a security incident on flight FZ1073. El Al, Israir and Arkia are taking part, with their planes flying empty to Dubai and returning with passengers, with government compensation for the cost of the empty flights.
6. 1 Oct 2026, 17:49 A report by journalist Matti Tuchfeld in the Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed details of the plane's disappearance from radar screens over Saudi airspace after it sent the hijack code 7500, during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying 174 passengers, most of them Israelis. According to the account, the Omani co-pilot stabbed the Indian captain, Smit Machhar, seriously wounding him, before four Israeli passengers intervened, restrained him and treated the captain.
7. 1 Oct 2026, 19:37 An analysis published by Dr. Yoel Guzansky on Israel's Channel 12 argued that the attempted targeting of an Emirati plane bound for Israel turned into a sensitive political test for Israel's relations with the Gulf states, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, noting that the Emirati plane carrying Israelis found refuge in Saudi territory, but Riyadh did not allow Israeli planes to land to evacuate the passengers.
8. 1 Oct 2026, 20:09 The Indian Embassy in the UAE announced that the Indian pilot, Smit Machhar, is in good health and recovering, and that the ambassador visited him in hospital. Flydubai had said a dispute inside the cockpit required the intervention of crew members, and the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that some crew members were injured and transferred.
9. 1 Oct 2026, 21:07 Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as saying he instructed senior officials in his ministry to allocate an immediate budget for the Transport Ministry to cover the costs of evacuation flights, to bring back Israelis stranded in Dubai and the Middle East after Flydubai suspended its flights, adding that estimates put the number of those stranded at about ten thousand Israelis.
10. 2 Oct 2026, 07:27 A Wall Street Journal report revealed that the Indian captain, Smit Machhar, 38, was stabbed while flying a Boeing 737 Max 8 bound for Tel Aviv with more than 170 passengers and crew members on board; he managed to alert air traffic control and open the cockpit door, allowing intervention and the restraint of the attacker. The plane landed in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, and the pilot was transferred to the UAE for treatment.
11. 2 Oct 2026, 08:32 Israeli airline El Al cancelled on Friday morning the evacuation flights of Israelis from Dubai scheduled for that day, after failing to obtain final Emirati approvals despite long hours of contacts at senior levels. According to a report by journalist Dean Fischer on Israel's Channel 12, talks between senior Israeli officials and the Emirati side did not complete the understandings and permits needed for Israeli planes to land in the UAE.
12. 2 Oct 2026, 19:29 Flydubai announced the opening of a comprehensive official investigation into the security incident in the cockpit of its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, which forced it to make an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, confirming the suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv until further notice. The company's CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said all 172 passengers and the crew members came out safely, and that the captain returned to the UAE after undergoing a medical assessment.
13. 3 Oct 2026, 15:35 Dubai Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited Captain Smit Machhar, the pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073, in a gesture of appreciation following the incident in which he was assaulted by the co-pilot inside the cockpit. Sheikh Hamdan posted photos of the visit on X, praising the courage, responsibility and concern for people's lives shown by the pilot, and expressing his pride at being part of the country's team.
14. 4 Oct 2026, 16:53 The captain of the Flydubai flight, Smit Machhar, recounted the details of what happened in the cockpit during flight FZ1073, saying the flight began normally before he received a heavy blow to the back of his head from the co-pilot while the plane was descending sharply, that he tried more than once to open the cockpit door but the attacker kept closing it, and that he eventually managed to open the door so that a number of passengers entered and helped bring the situation under control. The report also referred to a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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