Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai, was diverted on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, following an altercation on the flight deck, and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
In an official statement, flydubai said an altercation on the flight deck led to the diversion, and that off-duty crew members travelling as passengers stepped in to help secure the aircraft. The airline confirmed that all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for, with no injuries reported.
Flydubai urged the public and media to refrain from premature speculation about the cause of the incident, noting that the exact reasons and motives remain unknown and are now the subject of a formal investigation by the relevant authorities. The carrier dispatched two replacement aircraft to fly passengers and crew onward to their destinations and stressed that normal network operations were unaffected.
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) confirmed that investigations into the incident are ongoing. In the aftermath, codeshare flights operated jointly with Emirates on the Dubai-Tel Aviv route were also temporarily suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry.
The Dubai-Tel Aviv corridor has long been subject to heightened scrutiny given regional sensitivities, and UAE officials, including at the diplomatic level, followed up on the wellbeing of passengers aboard the flight.
Flydubai said it would not release further details until the investigation progresses, asking passengers and their families to rely only on the airline's official statements for updates.