What Officials Have Confirmed About Flydubai Flight FZ1073

A week after flydubai flight FZ1073 diverted to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia, the official record is still limited to a handful of statements. This account draws only on those statements. It does not speculate on motive or cause, which remain under investigation.

The timeline so far

FZ1073 left Dubai International (DXB) for Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday 30 September. In its first statements, flydubai said an altercation had taken place in the flight deck. It said on-duty flydubai crew who were travelling on the flight secured the aircraft, then diverted and landed it safely at Tabuk.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior gave a fuller account on 1 October through the Saudi Press Agency. An official source said Saudi authorities handled an inflight emergency declared on board and authorised an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. According to the ministry, the aircraft landed safely at 9:45 a.m. Passengers continued their journey at 5:40 p.m. on a replacement flydubai aircraft, and the flight crew returned to Dubai on a separate flydubai flight.

The ministry said the captain and the co-pilot were taken to a local hospital for assessment and treatment. Saudi authorities carried out preliminary investigations together with a security team from the UAE. Those enquiries found that the co-pilot had assaulted the captain and that both men were injured. After medical clearance, both pilots left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi on 1 October, accompanied by the UAE security team.

The two sides give different counts of the people on board. The ministry gave 174 passengers and eight crew. flydubai’s statements describe “172 passengers and crew”. Neither has publicly explained the difference.

The airline’s response

flydubai said it sent two replacement aircraft to Tabuk, and that the event had no effect on the rest of its network. In coordination with the relevant authorities, it then temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues.

In a statement issued through the Dubai Media Office, chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith said the captain had returned to the UAE after receiving medical clearance. He thanked the crew who secured and landed the aircraft, the passengers who helped them, and the Saudi and UAE authorities. He said a full official investigation is under way, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by the airline. flydubai has repeatedly urged the public not to speculate before the facts are established.

What is not yet public

The published statements do not name the aircraft type or registration. They also do not say which authority is leading the formal investigation or when findings will be released. Khaleej Aviation will report any interim statement or report as soon as it is published.

The incident involves one of the region’s largest low-cost operators. flydubai’s 2025 results, published in February, put its fleet at 97 aircraft serving 140 destinations in 58 countries, with 15.7 million passengers carried last year.