In an extraordinary example of individuals from hostile countries working together to save lives, Israeli media that spoke with airport authorities are saying that the alternate pilot crew who landed a hijacked flight safely included a Russian and a Ukrainian.
Israel Hayom identified the brave off-duty pilots’ nationalities after speaking with officials at the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The temporarily hijacked FlyDubai flight was headed for Tel Aviv in Israel, with many Israeli passengers, but after the violent incident it diverted to Tabuk for an emergency landing.
There was some initial confusion about the nationality of all the pilots on board the aircraft, as multiple outlets at first reported that the two pilots fighting in the cockpit and causing the near-crash were Russian and Ukrainian. New details indicate that the attacking co-pilot is Omani and the stabbed pilot is Emirati. Oman has been consistently supportive of the Iranian regime in its ongoing conflict with Israel this year. Israel Hayom clarified that there was a Russian and Ukrainian pilot crew on board, but that they were off duty and only took control when the other pilots were unable to do so because of their fight.
A Ukrainian and a Russian citizen were indeed on board the Flydubai flight: they were the ones who helped land the plane They were an additional crew of pilots who were travelling as passengers. They managed to get into the cockpit, take control of the plane, and safely land it in Saudi Arabia, Israel Hayom reports. There is no official confirmation of this information. Iran may have been involved in the attempted terrorist attack on board the Flydubai flight: Israel is investigating this possibility. Israeli media report that the first officer shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he attacked the captain with a knife. Israel’s Transport Ministry is demanding that Flydubai flights to Tel Aviv be suspended following the incident until the investigation is completed.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 30, 2026
Related: Pilot Stabbed in Apparent Midair Hijacking Attempt on FlyDubai Flight to Tel Aviv
From Israel Hayom on Wednesday morning:
Authorities at Tabuk Airport confirmed that emergency responders rushed both injured aviators to a local hospital upon touchdown. Control of the aircraft was seized midair by two off-duty flight crew members – a Russian pilot and a Ukrainian pilot – who managed to neutralize the threat and navigate the airliner to a safe landing in Saudi Arabia.
It is unfortunate that the plane had to land in Saudi Arabia because that country is, of course, a Muslim nation not particularly friendly with Israel. It is also unfortunate that Israel is a tiny Jewish nation stranded in a massive swathe of unfriendly or outright hostile Muslim countries. Israel Hayom reported that Saudi authorities have not yet agreed that an Israeli aircraft can come to rescue their people from Tabuk. Saudi authorities prefer to let an Emirati aircraft take the Israeli passengers, and at least the United Arab Emirates is part of the Abraham Accords.
But of course, after an apparent terrorist attack by a Muslim co-pilot, Israelis would prefer to send their own people for the rescue mission.
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