Passengers aboard a Dubai-Tel Aviv flydubai flight have described the chaotic moments inside the aircraft after it suddenly lost altitude and the co-pilot allegedly attacked the pilot.
The passengers and a crew member reportedly forced their way into the cockpit after the aircraft entered a steep descent while crossing into Jordanian airspace.
Inside the cockpit, they found the co-pilot allegedly attempting to interfere with the aircraft’s controls after stabbing the pilot.
The passengers intervened and restrained the co-pilot, helping prevent the situation from escalating further.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the passengers and crew member “saved many lives” and “prevented a heavy disaster” during the incident.
The account cited by Israeli officials said passengers became alarmed after the aircraft sharply lost altitude and entered a steep descent.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that flydubai Flight FZ1073 descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds as it crossed into Jordanian airspace.
Also: Israel-bound flight triggers hijack alert after cockpit confrontation
The aircraft transmitted the general emergency signal, squawk 7700, before also transmitting squawk 7500, which indicates unlawful interference.
The flight eventually diverted to Tabuk Regional Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, where Saudi authorities took the co-pilot into custody.
Netanyahu described the incident as a “highly severe security incident” and said all passengers were out of harm’s way.
The passengers were predominantly Israeli citizens.
An Israeli official identified the co-pilot as an Omani national, while Israeli security authorities have been treating the incident as an attempted terror attack.
The circumstances surrounding the cockpit confrontation remain under investigation.
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