"Maariv": Attempt to Control Flydubai Plane After Cockpit Clash

The newspaper added that Israeli authorities are investigating several possibilities, including the possibility that the stabbing pilot attempted to take control of the plane, including the possibility that he intended to bring it down.

It was noted that the plane lost altitude rapidly during the incident, with flight tracking apps showing it descended by about 15,000 feet, or over 4,000 meters, in a short period.

According to Maariv, Israeli passengers on board reportedly assisted the crew in controlling and neutralizing the person who posed a threat.

The incident caused an alert in Israel, after the plane initially sent emergency code 7700, followed by code 7500 indicating suspicion of hijacking, before communication with the Israeli side was cut off.

The newspaper said the Israeli Air Force dispatched two fighters towards the plane, and Saudi Arabia sent its own aircraft, amid initial suspicion that the plane might have been hijacked.

According to Maariv, the plane was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered as A6-FKF, and was at an altitude of nearly 15,300 feet north of Saudi Arabia, near the Jordanian border, at around 08:32 Israeli time, when it sent the emergency code.

It added that the plane was later lost from the Flight Radar 24 app, before it managed to contact Saudi aviation authorities and land safely in Tabuk Airport.

The newspaper quoted an Israeli source as saying that the plane would be inspected after landing, and the crew would be interrogated, noting that a definitive determination of what happened would require completing examinations and investigations.

Maariv reported that the Israeli military said the incident was not classified at this stage as a security incident, despite ongoing investigation into its circumstances, including the possibility of a deliberate attempt to take control of the plane.

For its part, Flydubai confirmed that flight FZ1073, which departed Dubai International Airport bound for Tel Aviv on September 30, "experienced an incident during the flight," noting that the plane landed safely in Tabuk and all passengers were safe.