* Last updated 06:45 AM EST on September 30, 2026 by Jake Hardiman *

A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in Israel had to divert to Saudi Arabia this morning after one of its pilots reportedly attempted to hijack the aircraft. According to the BBC, a fight broke out between the pilots, with one of them stabbing the other before he was able to be tackled and tied down.

Amid the scuffle, the aircraft is said to have descended sharply, reportedly losing more than 14,000 feet of altitude in less than half a minute. Following the incident, the flight diverted to Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (TUU) in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, to which flydubai has subsequently dispatched a second aircraft to allow the passengers to continue their journeys to Tel Aviv.

Considerable Altitude Loss

Wednesday, September 30, 06:45 AM EST

Credit: Simple Flying

According to coverage of the matter by Flightradar24, the flight involved in this alarming incident was FZ1073. This daily flydubai service left Dubai International Airport at 7:05 AM (3:05 AM UTC) today, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 that bears the registration A6-FKF, 20 minutes after its scheduled departure time of 6:45 AM. However, things took a rather dramatic turn just over two hours into the flight.

At 5:31 AM UTC, the flight issued the squawk code 7700, indicating an emergency, before changing the code to 7500, which denotes a hijacking. This followed several erratic changes in vertical speed, with the jet dropping from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in 29 seconds at 5:22 AM UTC. Thereafter, the flight diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely at around 6:45 AM UTC. flydubai said that:

“All passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities.”