Co-pilot accused of trying to crash Flydubai jet is transferred to UAE

On 1 October 2026 Saudi and Emirati officials transferred the co-pilot suspected of attacking the captain of Flydubai flight FZ1073 to the United Arab Emirates, a day after the Dubai–Tel Aviv service was forced to divert to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. According to UAE and Israeli accounts the Omani co-pilot used a cockpit crash axe to strike the captain and pushed the Boeing 737 into a steep descent of about 17,400 feet in under two minutes before off-duty crew on board subdued him and landed the aircraft safely. All 180-plus passengers eventually continued to Israel. Flydubai suspended its entire Tel Aviv network while investigators probed whether the attack was an act of terrorism, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the incident to warn of ongoing aviation threats ahead of a national vote. The story dominated world travel coverage because it combined a mid-air terror probe, the first serious attempt by a crew member to crash a modern commercial jet in years, and immediate consequences for Gulf–Israel air links already strained by regional tensions.