UAE aviation regulator calls FZ1073 a "security incident" under investigation and urges the public not to pre-empt the findings
General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab EmiratesUAE federal civil aviation regulator, in a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM)
In a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on September 30, 2026, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said flydubai flight FZ1073 experienced a security incident that was brought under control, which required the aircraft to divert and make an emergency landing at Tabuk. It said some crew members were injured and taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia. It said its investigation teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to establish the cause and circumstances of the incident, including a review of operational and security aspects, and it urged the public not to circulate unofficial information or speculate ahead of the findings.
“a security incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been brought under control ... its investigation teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to establish the cause and circumstances of the incident, including a review of operational and security aspects.”
Official statement
Original post
Reporting
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
On September 30, 2026, flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, dropped sharply in altitude en route, transmitted emergency transponder codes and landed at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. flydubai said an altercation occurred in the flight deck, and the Tabuk airport said both pilots were taken to hospital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and "apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," and Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack." flydubai said the reasons and motives were unknown and subject to a formal investigation. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center opened investigations. As of September 30, 2026, no investigating authority had reported findings, and we did not locate a public report that anyone had been charged. The disputed claim is whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash the aircraft.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
The UAE civil aviation regulator's statement as carried by the Emirates News Agency. The English body text cited in this case is the copy republished by ARN News Centre.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original post
About this source
Sa'ar's account of a call with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE's own readout of the call uses different wording.
Reporting
About this source
English text of the GCAA statement in the news agency's third-person wording. It says some crew members were injured and taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia and that the authority urged the public not to circulate unofficial information or speculate ahead of the findings.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Later Reuters report, republished by Yahoo. It attributes the Omani-national identification to an Israeli official and says there was no immediate comment from Oman.
Reporting
About this source
The UAE's readout of Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, as carried by WAM.
Before the quotation
flydubai had said by 13:21 UTC that the reasons and motives were unknown, and Israeli officials including Katz and Netanyahu had described the incident as a deliberate attempt to crash the plane. Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center had announced at 17:07 UTC that its safety investigation team had begun work. The English wording is the news agency's third-person rendering, as republished by ARN News Centre. Reuters quoted the authority as saying the flight "experienced a security incident that was brought under control."
After the quotation
WAM's readout of a call between UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described the flight as one that "experienced a security incident that was brought under control." Sa'ar's own post said the two agreed to work together against "extremist elements seeking to harm security and undermine stability in the region," a phrase that does not appear in the WAM readout. As of September 30, 2026, we did not locate a further UAE statement on the cause.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. The authority described the event as a "security incident" but did not say what kind of incident it was or who was responsible. It referred the question of cause to its investigation and asked the public not to pre-empt the findings. We labeled it Explicitly stayed out. The term "security incident" names a category of event and is not a statement about intent.
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flydubai says the "reasons and motives" behind the flight-deck altercation "are unknown" and urges all parties to avoid "premature speculation"
flydubai
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
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- UAE aviation regulator calls FZ1073 a "security incident" under investigation and urges the public not to pre-empt the findings
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The Dispute Index. "UAE aviation regulator calls FZ1073 a "security incident" under investigation and urges the public not to pre-empt the findings". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3858-in-a-statement-carried-by-the-emirates-news