The United Arab Emirates has opened an investigation into an incident involving a flydubai passenger aircraft that was forced to divert and land in Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s state news agency reported.
The UAE attorney general ordered the investigation, with authorities saying the inquiry will establish what happened aboard the aircraft and determine the circumstances and possible motives behind the incident.
Investigators will also examine whether the episode had any connection to militant activity and whether it was planned or directed in advance.
According to UAE authorities, the country has legal jurisdiction over the matter because the aircraft is registered in the UAE and operates under its flag. UAE law, they said, applies to offences committed aboard its aircraft even when they occur outside the country.
Passengers said panic erupted after the aircraft suddenly lost a significant amount of altitude while flying over the region. Data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24 indicated that the plane dropped by about 17,000 feet within roughly one minute.
Flydubai said all passengers were safe after the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia. Media reports said 166 of the 174 people aboard were Israeli nationals. The airline said the circumstances surrounding the altercation remained unclear.
Israeli officials have alleged that the aircraft’s co-pilot attempted to bring down the plane, while the pilot and passengers intervened.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the injured pilot, identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, and credited him and the passengers with helping prevent what he described as a potentially catastrophic incident.
Netanyahu alleged that one pilot attacked the other with a knife and then apparently attempted to crash the aircraft. He also said an Israeli passenger, whom he identified as Yanik, assisted in overpowering the attacker.
Israeli officials described the episode as an attempted terrorist attack, although the UAE investigation is still examining the circumstances and motives.
The Indian embassy said Machchhar was receiving treatment at a Saudi hospital. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also publicly praised the pilot, saying his actions helped save lives.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he had discussed the incident with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and that both sides agreed to cooperate against extremist elements.
US President Donald Trump, commenting after speaking with Netanyahu, suggested that the co-pilot may have been a terrorist, while also offering another possible explanation. His remarks were not presented as a confirmed finding of the investigation.
A Saudi source familiar with the matter told AFP that Riyadh rejected several Israeli requests to send aircraft to Saudi Arabia to transport passengers from the diverted flight.
According to the source, Israel initially sought permission to send military aircraft to Tabuk and later requested an El Al commercial flight. Both requests were declined.
The source said communication was conducted through the UAE rather than directly between Saudi and Israeli officials.
Saudi authorities said they assisted the passengers following the emergency landing in line with their international obligations and maintained that the travellers’ nationalities did not influence the decision.
Saudi Arabia has not established diplomatic relations with Israel and has previously said that any normalisation agreement would require a clear path toward Palestinian statehood.
After the incident, another flydubai aircraft transported the passengers from Saudi Arabia to Tel Aviv.
Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon told reporters that the aircraft appeared to be out of control during the incident. She alleged that the co-pilot had attempted to harm the pilot and bring down the plane, while passengers eventually helped restrain him.
Another passenger, Almog Italie, described the situation as severe turbulence followed by a struggle near the cockpit. Chaim Nazarovitz said the experience was extremely frightening.
Flydubai said another crew member who was travelling on the aircraft took over and safely diverted the plane to Saudi Arabia. The airline also announced a temporary suspension of its flights to Israel while the investigation continues.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and other senior officials described the episode as an attempted terrorist attack, while the UAE-led investigation remains underway.
The incident occurred amid heightened regional tensions and comes ahead of Israel’s scheduled elections later in October. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had previously warned of possible attempts by Israel’s adversaries to carry out attacks before the vote, comments that drew criticism from opposition figures.
