Passengers overcame co-pilot who tried to crash flydubai flight, Netanyahu says

According to extensive coverage from outlets including Politico, The New York Times, PBS, The Times of Israel, and NDTV, an alarming in-flight security incident occurred aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel. Statements from officials and reports indicate that a pilot attempted to crash the aircraft following a violent clash inside the cockpit. Specifically, reporting from PBS and Politico notes that Netanyahu stated a pilot stabbed another crew member and apparently tried to bring the plane down. NDTV sources report that the pilot who fought off his colleague and acted heroically is of Indian nationality. Coverage across the participating publications emphasizes the chaotic nature of the event and the immediate aftermath.

The New York Times published accounts from a passenger describing the chaos experienced on board the flydubai flight, while also detailing what is currently known and unknown regarding the diverted aircraft. The Times of Israel reported that flydubai maintained hours of silence before issuing a statement indicating that the underlying motive behind the cockpit incident remains under active investigation. Meanwhile, The Times of Israel also featured commentary from a former Israeli envoy to the United Arab Emirates who cautioned against any premature rush to assign blame to the airline following what has been characterized as an apparent hijacking attempt. Context provided across the news reports highlights the severity of a mid-air cockpit confrontation on an international commercial route. The flight was forced to divert following the physical clash between the pilots, drawing immediate international attention and high-level political remarks.

Because flydubai initially withheld detailed public statements for hours, public and media scrutiny intensified rapidly as various sources began leaking details about the physical altercation, the stabbing of one pilot by another, and the subsequent intervention by passengers and crew members to prevent a catastrophic crash. Future developments will depend on official investigative findings from aviation authorities and the airline itself. Coverage does not yet specify the full identities of all individuals involved or the exact technical details of the flight path deviation beyond the diversion. Observers and analysts, including diplomatic figures cited in the coverage, are waiting for official conclusions regarding the attacker's motive and any potential systemic security gaps revealed by the cockpit stabbing incident on the Israel-bound route.