Flydubai Flight FZ1073 left Dubai International Airport on the morning of September 30, 2026, bound for Tel Aviv on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with roughly 174 pᴀssengers and eight crew. For the first two hours the flight proceeded normally at a cruising alтιтude near 34,000 feet. Then, around 05:21 UTC according to flight-tracking data, the aircraft began an abrupt and violent series of alтιтude changes. It dropped sharply, climbed again, and dropped once more. In one of the most extreme segments, data cited by Reuters and Flightradar24 showed a loss of more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds; other reports placed the overall dramatic plunge between 16,000 and 18,000 feet within roughly 90 seconds to two minutes.
During this period the aircraft transmitted the general emergency transponder code 7700, followed minutes later by the rare 7500 code indicating unlawful interference. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled. The plane altered course near the Saudi-Jordanian border and eventually diverted to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, landing safely after an emergency that lasted several hours from departure to touchdown. Saudi authorities later stated that a preliminary investigation found the co-pilot had ᴀssaulted the captain, resulting in injuries to both. The UAE Attorney General subsequently announced that the co-pilot had used the cockpit 𝔠r𝘢sh axe to attack the captain and attempt to seize the flight controls, classifying the incident as an attempted terrorist act. Captain Smit Machchhar, despite being wounded and on the floor, opened the cockpit door, allowing pᴀssengers and off-duty pilots to enter and overpower the attacker. Two qualified pilots already aboard then landed the aircraft.
All pᴀssengers and crew were accounted for after the landing; replacement flights later moved the travelers onward. Both pilots received medical treatment in Tabuk before being transferred to the UAE with a security team. The sequence of extreme alтιтude loss, dual emergency codes, and the cockpit struggle has been reconstructed from flight data, official statements, and witness accounts. What remains under investigation is the precise motive and whether the co-pilot acted alone. Flydubai has suspended its Tel Aviv routes while authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel continue their inquiries.
Multiple reports have identified the co-pilot of flydubai Flight FZ1073 as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami. According to accounts from the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Bloomberg, and others citing people familiar with the matter, al-Hammami had previously worked for Oman Air, where he was removed from flying duties or reᴀssigned after authorities became aware of extremist materials or radical views. Sources told news outlets that he was treated as a security risk and barred from operational flying. He was later hired by flydubai and, by the time of the September 30 flight, had been with the airline for a period measured in months.
