Flydubai scare: What we know about the pilots?

A Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying approximately 180 Israeli passengers experienced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following the transmission of emergency signals, including a code linked to a potential hijacking, shortly after departing Dubai for Tel Aviv. The aircraft, operated under the call sign Flydubai flight FZ1073, initially issued code 7700, indicating a general emergency, and later switched to code 7500, an internationally recognized signal for unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking.

Reports suggest that the incident was triggered by a violent altercation between the flight's pilots, rather than a hijacking. One pilot allegedly stabbed the other with a folding knife, but passengers and crew members managed to subdue the attacker before the plane could make an emergency landing. This prompted Israel to scramble military aircraft, fearing that the flight had been hijacked.

The plane ultimately landed safely in Tabuk, a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia that houses both civilian and military aviation facilities.

While the individuals involved in the incident remain largely unknown, Israeli media sources have reported that the pilot under investigation is an Omani national. Channel 12 also noted that a second team of pilots, dressed in civilian clothes, were traveling as passengers on the aircraft and reportedly helped prevent one of the pilots from gaining control of the plane.

Authorities are investigating the possibility that one of the pilots attempted a crash or even committed suicide by attempting to crash the aircraft, with the other pilot intervening. However, these reports have not been independently confirmed, and neither Flydubai nor the relevant authorities have provided further details about events within the cockpit.