DOMINANT ANGLE
Warsaw is gauging the incident by the standard of September 11 and the history of hijackings: the Polish press sees it as a catastrophe narrowly averted in a cockpit.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to an Israeli official cited by Channel 112, a questioned pilot allegedly tried to take control to crash the plane, and a second team of pilots in civilian clothes was on board.
- 02
Based on public data cited by Dziennik.pl, the Boeing dropped from 10,000 to 5,000 meters in about one minute approximately two hours after takeoff, before being diverted to Tabouk.
- 03
Newsweek Polska links the incident to the hijacking in June 1976 and the Entebbe operation, where Benyamin Netanyahu's brother was killed.
ANALYSIS
Warsaw, October 1, 2026. Polish media are treating the incident of the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which made an emergency landing in Tabouk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, as a near-tragedy. Dziennik.pl headlines with a "horror on board" and "pilot sabotage," which could have ended "like 9/11."
The daily relies first on an Israeli official cited by Channel 112, according to whom "a great catastrophe was avoided." This official claims that one of the pilots is being questioned and that more and more evidence shows that he tried to take control of the plane to crash it. Passengers allegedly stopped him, and a second team of pilots, in civilian clothes, was on board. Without them, the incident could have ended in "a second 9/11." Dziennik.pl adds that the Israeli portal Walla identifies the pilot as Omani, information presented as a simple publication by this media outlet.
The text details the flight path based on public data. About two hours after takeoff, the Boeing dove from 10,000 to 5,000 meters in one minute while accelerating strongly. It briefly climbed back above 6,000 meters, then descended below 4,000 meters. Flydubai confirmed an "incident" and assured that all passengers had landed "safely." A testimony reported by Israeli media mentions cries, an open cockpit, and blood: "someone stabbed the pilot with a pocket knife."
Newsweek Polska, on the other hand, does not dwell on the investigation. It reports that, according to Israeli media, one of the pilots wanted to crash the plane, that videos show panic and injured people, and that the aggressor was neutralized. It then launches into a long historical account: the hijacking of an Airbus from Tel Aviv to Paris in June 1976 and the Entebbe operation, where Benjamin Netanyahu's brother died. The parallel establishes the idea of a recurring threat to Israeli aviation.
The two articles are based on Israeli or anonymous sources and remain conditional. They do not mention the suspension of flydubai flights to Israel, the role of Saudi authorities, or the name of the stabbed commander.
