Flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Saudi Arabia after reported feud between pilots Amid Hijacking. Pilot was stabbed in a violent attack

[RoomService]

A flydubai commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia following a midair altercation between its pilots, triggering a major hijacking scare. The Boeing aircraft, operating as flight FZ1073 with over 100 Israeli passengers on board, transmitted emergency transponder codes 7700 and 7500 and plunged around 4,000 metres in altitude during the scuffle. Crew members and Israeli passengers subdued the pilot before the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia. The incident prompted the Israeli Air Force to scramble fighter jets, temporarily shut down Ben Gurion Airport, and led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene an emergency security meeting. Both UAE and Israeli authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the cockpit brawl.

A commercial plane traveling from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, briefly raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble its jets.

Israeli media, citing security officials, said the incident stemmed from a feud between the plane's two pilots, and everyone on board was safe. The plane landed in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in the kingdom.

The FlyDubai plane transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff, according to publicly available flight tracking information.

A regional official briefed on the incident said a fight broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved pilots. It wasn't immediately clear what had caused the fight, the official said.





A second official confirmed that Israel had scrambled warplanes, fearing a hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of its citizens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned in recent days of unspecified, escalated security threats.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the incident was still under investigation.

Netanyahu's office later said the situation was under control and Israel was working to bring the passengers home.

Emergency landings for personnel reasons are rare yet not unheard of. In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight, though it did not have to be diverted and landed as planned.

FlyDubai is the lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates airlines. The United Arab Emirates has become a popular vacation destination for Israeli tourists since the countries normalized ties in 2020.

Israel has not experienced a hijacking in decades but maintains some of the strictest airport security in the world. Commercial flight have flown between Israel and the United Arab Emirates since the countries normalized ties in 2020.

Flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Saudi Arabia after reported feud between pilots

The flight briefly raised concerns of a possible hijacking, prompting Israeli Air Force jets to scramble.

www.yahoo.com

 

[BlackRob]

 

[RoomService]

Israel-Bound FlyDubai Flight Pilot Stabbed In 'Violent' Attack ... Video From Attempted Hijacking​

An Israel-bound commercial flight was sent into chaos Wednesday morning when two pilots got into a violent confrontation during what officials are calling a "terror attack attempt" ... and graphic video shows the captain drenched in blood after being stabbed.


The bloody footage shows the captain wearing an oxygen mask as he lies on his back in the galley ... his body is covered in blood-soaked bandages as he clings to life next to a blood-soaked wall, as bloodied passengers stand over him.


It looks like the pilot was stabbed several times ... and it appears his alleged attacker, his co-pilot, is unconscious by the time the video was shot ... his white uniform soaked in blood.

The madness unfolded at 1:20 AM ET when the Flydubai jet -- flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv -- had to be diverted to Saudi Arabia due to the "violent incident" occurring inside the cockpit, according to CNN, citing Israeli officials.








A Flydubai passenger told Fox News ... the copilot allegedly stabbed the captain, who then fell onto the controls, causing the plane's sharp drop.


CNN said the plane then took a precipitous drop of 17,400 feet in nearly 2 minutes.


The Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, received a distress call from the aircraft at 1:44 AM ET, requesting clearance for an emergency landing.


About an hour later, the plane touched down safely on a runway after the airport announced a state of emergency. Passengers say two off-duty pilots stepped up to land the plane.

X/@AmichaiStein1


CNN said the captain and copilot were rushed to a hospital, where they were being treated for injuries, while passengers received treatment in the airport terminal. The outlet reports, citing two Israeli officials, that one of the pilots was from Oman ... an independent Arab country that doesn't have diplomatic relations with Israel.


Authorities have not yet released an official account of what happened inside the cockpit.


One Israeli official claims "one pilot stabbed the other and tried to do a 9/11" ... according to Channel 12.

 

[Flawless]

They were fighting over who will crash the plane, the copilot doesn't get 40 virgins.

 

[blackbull1970]

They already trying to create the narrative this was a terrorist attack.

Good chance these two got into a heated argument over something stupid and decided to go at each other 30,000ft up in the air instead of waiting until they got on the ground.

Men fight over two things.

• Money
• Pussy

They are both alive and their conversations are recorded on the Voice Data Recorders.

We will wait and see…

 

[ThaBurgerPimp]

They already trying to create the narrative this was a terrorist attack.

Fox News probably ran with this already.. "So far there has been NO indication of this being an act of terrorism.."

 

[RoomService]

Fox News probably ran with this already.. "So far there has been NO indication of this being an act of terrorism.."

'I was not going to let others die' - pilot of Flydubai flight describes cockpit attack by co-pilot​

Watch: Tearful pilot recounts moment of Flydubai attack

The Indian pilot of the Flydubai plane who was attacked by his co-pilot and opened the cockpit door to let others in has said he was determined not to let others die.

Smit Machchhar said he was on the ground and still being attacked when he realised the plane was sinking and he had to do something.

"I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside," he said in a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



"Others came in and also played a role [in controlling the situation]. I was of course fighting for my own life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die," he added.


The plane bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey on Wednesday, before passengers and crew overpowered the attacker and retook control to land safely.

It was forced to divert to Tabuk, a city in north-western Saudi Arabia.

Machchhar, who has also been hailed as a "true hero" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was taken to hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi where he is reported to be in a stable condition.



He said he had been flying planes for 17 years and "can tell what is happening to the plane even with my eyes closed".

Modi told the captain that "his courage, patience and quick decision-making saved the lives of so many people" and the whole country was proud of him.


The Indian embassy in the UAE on Thursday said Machchhar was "in good health and recovering well". Ambassador Deepak Mittal said he was "proud of Capt Smit for his bravery" and "very reassured" to meet him.

"I am not looking at this wound like a wound because that would make my recovery even more difficult," Machchhar said.

"I am looking at it as a journey which is slowly going on and will take time but I am confident that the recovery will be there and I will become fit and healthy again.

Smit Machchhar: Pilot of Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv describes cockpit attack by co-pilot

Capt Smit Machchhar tells Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi he opened the cockpit door to let others in during the attack.

www.bbc.com