Terrifying new footage reveals how passengers on a commercial plane screamed in panic as the aircraft nosedived during what is feared to have been an attempted hijacking. 

Passengers said they believe the pilot was attempting to crash the flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv today after allegedly stabbing his co-pilot.

The plane was diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, transmitting a general emergency signal and then another emergency signal of unlawful interference. 

Officials feared the incident could have become another 'September 11' attack.  

In footage taken on the flight this morning, children and adults were heard crying in terror on the plane as it seemed to veer downwards. 

The noise of turbulence was heard growing louder and louder as the furnishings of the cabin were seen rattling. 

One woman was seen crouching in the aisle, while others were seen putting their heads by their legs in the brace position.  

Another clip showed passengers panicking on the plane. As a handful of passengers went up to the front to investigate, panicked screams were heard across the cabin.

A member of the cabin crew was heard telling passengers to remain seated and fasten their seatbelts. 

One woman was heard repeatedly asking: 'What's happened? What's happening?'  

Dramatic footage filmed by passengers moments after the alleged attack shows a crewmember covered in blood on the floor of the aircraft, outside the cockpit, as passengers tend to him. 

A second crewmember is seen beside him, seemingly unconscious and covered in blood.

One passenger recorded a video with blood over his face, emerging from a gash that stretches from his forehead down to his nose.

He said: 'We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.

'We’re landing in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown, unfamiliar area. On the plane, everybody is safe and sound, other than the pilot. We need help.'

A 'major disaster was narrowly avoided', an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post, describing how holidaymakers onboard the flight managed to subdue the pilot by tying him up.

Israel closed its airspace and scrambled warplanes over fears the jet had been hijacked, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency security meeting with Defence Minister Israel Katz.

The Israeli PM has since announced that the pilot who carried out the stabbing has now been arrested and is 'currently being questioned by the Saudi authorities'.

He added: 'During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board.

'I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to descend. He told me that, somehow, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems.

'Another air crew who was on the plane entered the cockpit and managed to stabilise the aircraft.

'I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.'

Data from Flightradar24 shows the jet rapidly losing altitude over Saudi Arabia, just two hours after take-off, descending more than 17,000ft (over 5,000m) in less than two minutes just after 05.21 UTC (06.21 BST). 

The aircraft recovered slightly for several seconds, reaching 21,650ft, before dropping sharply again, this time to under 14,000ft.

Over the next hour, the plane failed to maintain a steady altitude but it remained at around 15,000ft, indicating it was being controlled by hand rather than autopilot, according to The Times of Israel. 

The plane initially transmitted squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency, before switching to 7500, which signals unlawful interference, and later reverting to the initial code.

A regional official briefed on the incident said a fight broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved pilots, but added it wasn't immediately clear what had caused the dispute.

Israeli authorities were unable to make contact with the jet during the incident. 

The growing consensus among the Israeli security establishment, including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Mossad, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), is that the incident was intended as an act of terror. 

Passengers on the plane told Israel's Channel 12 that they heard shouts from others at the front of the jet who overheard the violent altercation.

According to witnesses, two pilots who were at the back of the jet came forward to help land it, with one passenger saying: 'I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane.'

As the other pilots took control of the aircraft, passengers ran towards the man who had a knife. 

Another passenger on the Boeing 737 MAX told Israel's Channel 12: 'We heard screams on the plane. Then they opened the cockpit and we saw blood, and someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife.'

She described how the Israeli passengers helped restrain an attacker along with members of the crew. 'We prayed, "Shema Yisrael",' she said.

'There were also moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive.'

Another woman, identifying herself as Noam, told the network in a call: 'Screams began on the plane… by passengers who realised what was happening. 

'We understand that one of the pilots was stabbed and seriously wounded, and they lost control of the plane. It started to dive quickly. It was very scary.'

One passenger, Itzhak Liber, recorded a video addressed to his family before uploading it onto Facebook.

'We took control of the situation here on the flight,' he said. 

'There was an attacker with a knife who stabbed one of the pilots.

'We just jumped on him and restrained him together with the pilot.'

He said the attacker had been 'neutralised', was 'seriously injured' and had been 'tied up'.

Zvika Manes, a passenger on the plane with his wife and daughter, said the incident was incredibly 'traumatic'.

He said he heard 'shouting' and 'screams' as his daughter was in the bathroom while his wife was near the cockpit. 

Mr Manes said he went in to help subdue the attacker, adding: 'I'm covered in blood. It was crazy.'

One passenger, speaking to Channel 12, said her husband helped to 'neutralise the terrorist'.

The woman, Meital, says a member of the flight crew in the cockpit 'tried to crash the plane' and was subdued by passengers.

'Someone shouted "stabbing" and my husband immediately understood what was happening and rushed to the front of the plane, and along with other Israelis they neutralised the terrorist,' she said.

'There were stabbings and a lot of blood,' Meital added.

'We’re very emotional and under terrible stress, it’s very difficult for me to talk.' 

There was a second team of pilots in civilian clothes on the plane, according to the outlet, who allegedly prevented one of the pilots from taking over and crashing the jet.

Flydubai said that a second plane had been sent to Tabuk Airport to pick up stranded passengers. 

But Israeli media reported that some passengers on the plane are refusing to board it, instead demanding an Israeli carrier pick them up. 

A senior Israeli official told the channel that if the pilots had not been on the jet, the incident could have ended in another 'September 11, 2001, attack or 1976 Entebbe hostage incident'. 

A second official confirmed that Israel had scrambled warplanes, fearing a hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of its citizens. 

Not long after the incident, the plane landed in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in the kingdom, with 180 passengers onboard. 

Mr Netanyahu has warned in recent days of unspecified, escalated security threats.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the incident was still under investigation.

Following the emergency landing of the plane in Saudi Arabia, the airline is sending a second plane to Tabuk Airport to fly passengers the remainder of the way to Israel.

The Flydubai flight that landed at Tabuk Airport appears to have sustained damage to the rudder on the rear of the aircraft, photographs show.

The images show that a section of the rudder is missing from the vertical stabiliser.

Mr Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir were also considering the possibility of dispatching Israeli military or civilian aircraft in order to bring the Israelis home, Walla learned. 

Israel has not experienced a hijacking in decades but maintains some of the strictest airport security in the world. 

Commercial flights have flown between Israel and the United Arab Emirates since the countries normalised ties in 2020.  

A Flydubai spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on September 30 experienced an incident while en route. 

'The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. 

'The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.

'Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.'