DOMINANT ANGLE
Riyadhh is framing the incident through its emergency management in Tabouk: a precise chronology of the landing, an investigation entrusted to the competent authorities, without adopting Netanyahu's attack vocabulary.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Distress call received at 8:44 on September 30, landing in Tabouk at 9:45; the commander and co-pilot were hospitalized (Cluster2 Airports, via Saudi Gazette).
- 02
A replacement plane took off at 17:40 with all passengers, including 166 Israelis out of 174 according to media reports.
- 03
Netanyahu claims one pilot stabbed the other and tried to crash the plane; flydubai says the motives are unknown and under investigation.
ANALYSIS
Riyadh, October 1, 2026. The flydubai FZ1073 Dubai-Tel Aviv flight landed on Wednesday, September 30, at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. According to Saudi Gazette, which cites the operator Cluster2 Airports, air traffic control received a distress call at 8:44 local time. An emergency was declared on the platform and the aircraft landed without incident at 9:45. The captain and co-pilot had injuries and were taken to the hospital.
The Saudi daily emphasizes the handling on the ground. Passengers received the necessary assistance in the terminal, while the airport coordinated with the airline to send a replacement plane. It took off at 17:40 on Wednesday, and all passengers reached their final destination. The airport claims to respect the instructions of the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and international agreements on air navigation safety, and specifies that "the necessary investigations" are being conducted by the competent authorities.
The account of violence on board comes from elsewhere. Asharq Al-Awsat quotes AFP: Benyamin Netanyahu stated in a video message that a pilot "stabbed the other pilot" and "apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board". He praised "heroes" who "prevented a major disaster", including an Israeli passenger who entered the cockpit. According to Flightradar24, the plane lost about 17,000 feet of altitude in one minute.
The newspaper also reports the testimony of a passenger, Miryam Shira Ohayon, who said the aircraft was "practically out of control". Of the 174 passengers, 166 are reportedly Israeli, according to the press. In response to these versions, flydubai indicates that the passengers are safe and sound, that the aircraft was "successfully secured" by the service crew on board, and that the motives for the altercation are unknown and subject to a formal investigation.
The Saudi coverage thus distinguishes between two registers: the airport's technical statement, sober and timed to the minute, and the Israeli statements, attributed to their author. Neither of the two sources establishes a proven motive, and the Saudi authorities do not publish their own penal qualification of the facts.
