Passengers aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv have arrived safely in Israel after their aircraft was forced to make an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia following a violent confrontation between two pilots.

Flight FZ1073, carrying more than 170 passengers, was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday when an altercation erupted in the cockpit.

According to Israeli officials and reports, Indian captain Smit Machchhar was allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot, an Omani national, during the confrontation. The aircraft subsequently experienced a rapid descent, prompting emergency procedures and fears that the plane could have been hijacked.

Dramatic video footage from inside the aircraft has now emerged, showing blood on the injured captain and passengers standing guard near the cockpit.

“You saved the plane,” one passenger is heard telling the injured pilot.

Another passenger, who appears to have suffered a head injury, said in Hebrew: “He attacked us on this plane. He tried to murder the pilot. We overpowered him.”

Another passenger was heard reassuring those around him: “No one passes the pilot’s door.”

The passengers and members of the crew reportedly managed to subdue the suspect. Off-duty pilots travelling among the passengers subsequently helped secure the aircraft and land it safely.

Emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia

The aircraft transmitted emergency signals during the incident and diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport.

Saudi airport authorities confirmed that the aircraft landed at about 9:45 a.m. local time after requesting an emergency landing. Both pilots were injured and taken to hospital, while passengers were assisted at the terminal.

The dramatic descent of the aircraft, combined with the emergency codes transmitted from the cockpit, initially triggered fears of a hijacking. Israeli fighter jets were reportedly scrambled as authorities assessed the situation.

Flydubai later confirmed that an altercation had occurred in the flight deck and said the aircraft was secured by on-duty flydubai crew members who were travelling on the flight. The crew diverted the plane and landed it safely in Tabuk.

The airline said all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for and later deployed replacement aircraft to Saudi Arabia to transport the stranded passengers. It also urged against premature speculation, saying the reasons and motives behind the incident remained under investigation.

Passengers finally return to Israel

After spending hours in Saudi Arabia, the passengers were eventually flown back to Israel on a replacement flydubai aircraft.

Reports said the replacement aircraft travelled from Tabuk to Israel, with the passengers arriving safely at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

On arrival, passengers who had endured the terrifying ordeal were met by family members and friends who had gathered to welcome them home.

The return brought an emotional end to an extraordinary journey that had begun as a routine Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight but turned into a mid-air emergency involving a stabbing, a cockpit struggle, a rapid descent and an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the passengers and crew for helping prevent what could have become a major disaster, while authorities continued investigating the incident and the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack.

The motive behind the confrontation remains unclear, and flydubai has said the matter is subject to a formal investigation.