A rapid descent over Saudi Arabia
Flydubai flight FZ1073 left Dubai at 03:05 GMT on Wednesday, bound for Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. About two and a half hours into the trip, flight tracking data showed the aircraft dropping more than 17,000 feet in less than two minutes over Saudi Arabia. The crew signalled a general emergency, then switched to the hijacking code 7500. The aircraft turned away from Israel and headed south.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the two pilots stabbed the other and then "apparently tried to crash the plane". An Israeli passenger described the aircraft going into a spin and beginning to descend before he and a crew member broke into the cockpit.
Passengers restrain the attacker
Passengers and cabin crew overpowered the attacker and tied him up, according to accounts from people on board. The flight landed at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia at 06:58 with 174 people aboard. Israeli and Saudi fighter jets were dispatched while the incident was in progress, and Netanyahu held urgent consultations.
The stabbed captain was named as Indian national Smit Machchhar. He was taken to hospital and is reported to be in stable condition. Netanyahu called him a "true hero", saying he fought back and opened the cockpit door despite serious injuries, which allowed others to act. Two crew members travelling as passengers then landed the aircraft safely, Flydubai said.
Motive still unclear
No official motive has been given. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called the event an "attempted jihadist terror attack". Netanyahu described it as a very serious security incident but did not set out a cause.
The passengers, almost all Israeli citizens, were flown home on a repatriation flight that arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Saudi and Emirati authorities are expected to take part in the investigation, which will examine how a pilot was able to carry a weapon into the cockpit. The incident has also revived questions about cockpit security rules and about the route's overflight arrangements.