DOMINANT ANGLE
Mexico City weighs two competing interpretations of the flydubai incident, either a simple brawl between pilots or an attempted attack, and leaves the question open due to a lack of a concluded investigation.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to FlightRadar24 cited by Reforma, the plane dropped from 33,000 to 17,000 feet in one minute before landing in Tabouk.
- 02
Netanyahu claims one pilot stabbed the other and "tried to crash the plane", according to El Financiero.
- 03
Israeli media citing security officials speak of a dispute between pilots, with all passengers safe (Reforma, El Norte).
ANALYSIS
Mexico, October 1, 2026. The flydubai FZ1073 flight, a Boeing 737 Max 8 that departed from Dubai for Ben Gurion Airport, made an emergency landing in Tabouk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, September 30. Vanguardia and Reforma describe the same sequence based on FlightRadar24: a descent from 33,000 to 17,000 feet in one minute, an erratic circuit near the Jordanian border, and then landing about an hour later. Vanguardia adds that the aircraft emitted the 7700 code, general emergency, and then the 7500 code, associated with illicit interference.
The Mexican press immediately places uncertainty at the center. The title of Vanguardia asks "¿Intento de suicidio o atentado?" and recalls that flydubai initially spoke of a simple "incident" without details. Reforma and El Norte, which publish the same text, relay Israeli media citing security officials: the episode would have resulted from a "disputa entre los dos pilotos", with all passengers safe. A regional official cited clarifies that the cause of the fight was not clear and that "el personal fue interrogado", without confirming any arrests.
El Financiero retains the most dramatic version, that of Benyamin Netanyahu. In a video from his office, the Prime Minister claims that one pilot stabbed the other and "intentó estrellar el avión". An official from his office told the EFE agency that the hijacking was the most plausible hypothesis. The newspaper also reprints the video from the Israeli channel Canal 12: three passengers covered in blood hold the two pilots on the ground near the cockpit and say they "contrôlé le terroriste".
Reforma notes that Netanyahu declared the aggressor detained by Saudi Arabia, and that his office considered the situation under control, with work underway to return the passengers. Israel launched fighter jets, which the newspaper mentions as a security measure.
The Mexican texts remain reprints of agency reports and Israeli media: none cite Saudi or Emirati authorities on the matter, nor the suspension of flights to Israel. The investigation continues, says Vanguardia, to establish exactly how the events unfolded.
SOURCES (4)
- El FinancieroMEDIUM
- El NorteMEDIUM
- Vanguardia MXMEDIUM
