Netanyahu Says Pilot of Rerouted Flydubai Flight Tried to Crash Plane

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the pilot of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight had tried to crash the plane and kill its passengers, after the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, according to France 24.

Passengers on board gave a similar account of the incident, describing what the report characterized as a fight for control of the aircraft after it suddenly plummeted, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude within the span of a minute, according to data from the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

The report does not specify how the alleged struggle for control was resolved, the current status or whereabouts of the pilot, or whether Saudi, Emirati or Israeli authorities have opened a formal investigation into the incident.

Flydubai, the Dubai-based airline operating the flight, was not quoted directly in the available report responding to Netanyahu's characterization of events or to the passengers' accounts.

The emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, and the subsequent arrival of passengers in Tel Aviv where they were met by Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport, drew significant attention given the high-profile nature of the prime minister's direct claims about the pilot's intentions.

Given the severity of the allegation — that a commercial pilot deliberately attempted to crash an aircraft carrying passengers — independent confirmation from aviation investigators or the airline itself would typically be expected before such a claim could be treated as established fact, and the available report does not include that independent confirmation.