A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after one pilot allegedly stabbed the other.
Passengers on flight FZ1073 stormed the cockpit of the Tel Aviv-bound Boeing 737 and overpowered the co-pilot, according to The Times.
The plane, carrying 170 people, was diverted to Tabuk airport in northern Saudi Arabia, after dropping around 17,400ft in less than two minutes, according to data from Flightradar24.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed one pilot had stabbed the other and ‘tried to crash the plane’.
Passengers reportedly intervened after hearing screams and seeing an attacker with a knife in the cockpit.
The stabbed pilot, Smit Machchhar, managed to unlock the cockpit door as he was being attacked. He is reported to be in a stable condition, recovering from his injuries in a hospital in Tabuk.
One passenger said ‘three to five guys burst into the cockpit’ and subdued the attacker, while another said passengers ‘took control’ of the aircraft, as reported by the BBC.
Two other pilots who were travelling as passengers reportedly came forward to help land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu said the pilot accused of launching the attack had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.
Both pilots were taken to hospital following the incident, according to Saudi airport authorities.
Flydubai, the budget sister carrier of Emirates, said the incident has not impacted any other scheduled flights across its network.
