Flydubai Suspends “Israel” Flights after Hijacking Attempt

By Staff, Agencies

Dubai-based airline Flydubai has suspended flights to and from “Israel” after a “Tel Aviv”-bound passenger jet was diverted and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a hijacking attempt.

“Following the incident involving flight FZ 1073 on 30 September, and in coordination with the relevant authorities, Flydubai flights to and from ‘Israel’ will be suspended while the investigation continues,” the airline said in a statement on Wednesday.

Flydubai further added “The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and operations remain our highest priority. This temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident.”

The UAE’s aviation regulator, the General Civil Aviation Authority [GCAA], acknowledged that a “security incident” aboard the aircraft forced the plane, which was traveling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport, to land in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

According to “Israeli” officials and passengers, most of whom were “Israelis”, a fight broke out in the cockpit during which the co-pilot stabbed the captain, causing the plane to plunge.

“Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker had apparently planned to crash the plane and that the actions of the captain and passengers prevented “a 9/11 disaster.”

US President Donald Trump, who discussed the incident with Netanyahu by phone, suggested that the co-pilot was “perhaps a terrorist, or perhaps a whack-job.”