cited by local media. Flight FZ1073, carrying around 150 people—most of them Israeli—departed Dubai International Airport at 07:05 local time (03:05 GMT). Two hours into the journey, it signalled an emergency. Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed a rapid descent over Saudi Arabia around 05:21, with the plane dropping more than 17,000 feet in under two minutes. Minutes later it transmitted the squawk 7700 emergency code, then switched to squawk 7500, indicating a hijacking. At 05:40, after briefly entering Jordanian airspace, the plane looped back into Saudi Arabia and began a manual descent, landing at Tabuk Airport in the northeast at 06:58.

What passengers described
Israeli broadcasters Channel 12 and Channel 14 reported that one pilot stabbed the other before being restrained. Passengers shared similar accounts with media outlets, though the BBC has not independently verified them. Yasmin Abukasis told Reuters her daughter, who was on board, said a man with a knife forced one of the pilots to the floor, with "blood everywhere." Her daughter described hearing screams as a pilot called for help, and said two other pilots took control while passengers rushed toward the knife-wielding man. One female passenger told Israel Hayom the moment was "very stressful," saying people realised the pilots had lost control. Another passenger told the Jerusalem Post that passengers near the front forced the attacker from the cockpit after he stabbed the co-pilot, while two pilots from the rear helped land the aircraft. One passenger said one of the landing pilots was British.

Response
Both the Israeli and Saudi air forces dispatched fighter jets, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations, later saying the situation was under control. Flydubai confirmed the flight "experienced an incident en route," stating all passengers were safe and accounted for, and that its teams were working with authorities. The captain and first officer were injured and hospitalised, according to the company that owns Tabuk Airport, which did not specify the cause of their injuries. A recovery flight (FZ8455) was reportedly dispatched from Dubai to collect the passengers. The motive remains unknown, and the BBC has yet to receive official statements from police or investigators. (BBC)