Topic Lifecycle: Dormant
This topic is currently dormant in the news cycle. It was last covered on Wednesday 30 September 2026 and has not appeared in recent broadcasts.
Coverage trend (last 30 days)
How much coverage this topic got from each channel over the past month.
On screen
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Recent stories
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What was reported
A plain summary of this topic, built from the channels that covered it.
During the broadcasts, BBC, Channel 4 and 5 reported that a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia after an incident involving the pilots. BBC and 5 described it as a fight between pilots, while Channel 4 said Israel was describing it as a potential terrorist attack. BBC reported that initial reports of a hijacking turned out not to be the case, and that an emergency signal was issued for about seven minutes after an abrupt change of direction. Channel 4 reported that Israeli media claimed one pilot stabbed the other as the plane descended almost 17,000 feet within a minute, and that Israel scrambled fighter jets after an emergency call. 5 reported that one pilot stabbed the other and quoted a mother who said her daughter on board heard someone ask for help and a pilot screaming for help. BBC and Channel 4 reported that Tabuk Airport said the captain and first officer were taken to hospital. BBC and Channel 4 also reported that passengers helped overpower or restrain one of the pilots; BBC said the crew asked for help and passengers tackled and tied down one pilot. BBC reported the flight was carrying around 170 passengers, while Channel 4 said 180. BBC reported that a second Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, F71081, was diverted and heading back to Dubai, according to Flightradar24, and that Tabuk Airport was coordinating with Flydubai on a replacement aircraft. BBC quoted a Flydubai statement saying the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, all passengers were safe and accounted for, and the airline was working with authorities.
Key Claims by Channel
Tuesday 8 September 2026
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 6 or more of 8 channels | ||||||||
| A technical issue in the flight processing system used by air traffic control affected departing flights across the UK. | Not reported by BBC News | |||||||
| Ryanair called for the CEO of NATS to quit. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | ||||
| Reported by a few · 2–5 channels | ||||||||
| A fix was in place. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |||
| The government summoned NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to a meeting. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| The transport secretary said technicians had identified the issue and apologised for the frustration. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | ||
| The CEO ruled out a cyber attack. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Around 2,000 flights were cancelled due to the air traffic control issue, with further cancellations on the second day. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Reported by Sky News | ||||
| Only on one channel | ||||||||
| NATS engineers were working to fix the issue, but recovery was expected to take time. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
| The disruption was expected to have a significant financial impact on airlines, running into millions of pounds. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
| A similar incident in July 2025 caused 150 cancellations. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The 2023 disruption was blamed on engineers working from home. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Daily Telegraph front page reported an 'air traffic collapse' and 'grounds flights'. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| British Airways said the disruption was out of its control, and Wizz Air said it was extremely disappointed. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe's pay package totals £1.4 million, with a £553,000 base salary and £865,000 in bonuses. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Flights have resumed. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| This was reported as the third system failure causing thousands of flight cancellations. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Nearly 250 flights were cancelled at Heathrow on the second day. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The NATS CEO apologised. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The Transport Secretary sought assurances. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Wizz Air called for urgent reform. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
Wednesday 9 September 2026
| Claim | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 6 or more of 8 channels | ||||||||
| A technical issue in the flight processing system used by air traffic control affected departing flights across the UK. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | ||
| Ryanair called for the CEO of NATS to quit. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Around 2,000 flights were cancelled due to the air traffic control issue, with further cancellations on the second day. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | |||||
| Reported by a few · 2–5 channels | ||||||||
| NATS engineers were working to fix the issue, but recovery was expected to take time. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| A fix was in place. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The government summoned NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to a meeting. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by Sky News | |
| The transport secretary said technicians had identified the issue and apologised for the frustration. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The CEO ruled out a cyber attack. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The NATS CEO apologised. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||||||
| A similar incident in July 2025 caused 150 cancellations. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe's pay package totals £1.4 million, with a £553,000 base salary and £865,000 in bonuses. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Heathrow had 354 cancellations, Manchester 73, and Edinburgh 63. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| NATS is a private company, not nationalised. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Flights have resumed. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| An investigation was opened into the technical fault. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Airlines demanded greater accountability from NATS. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Passengers at Heathrow reported sleeping on the floor and a lack of accurate information. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| This was reported as the third system failure causing thousands of flight cancellations. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Heathrow said its operations were recovering, but knock-on disruption was expected. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Experts estimated around a quarter of a million people were affected by the disruption. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The Transport Secretary sought assurances. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Wizz Air called for urgent reform. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
Wednesday 30 September 2026
| Claim | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 6 or more of 8 channels | ||||||||
| A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia after an in-flight incident. | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | ||||||
| Reports described a fight between the pilots, including a claim that one pilot stabbed the other and an Israeli media report that the plane descended almost 17,000 feet in a minute. | Reported by BBC News | |||||||
| Reported by a few · 2–5 channels | ||||||||
| The flight issued an emergency signal for around seven minutes shortly after an abrupt change of direction. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Israel described the incident as a potential terrorist attack. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | |||
| Israel scrambled fighter jets after an emergency call. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Tabuk Airport said the captain and first officer were taken to hospital after sustaining injuries. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| The crew asked for help and passengers restrained or tied down one of the pilots. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | ||
| Reports put the number of passengers on board at around 170 to 180. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| A second Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, F71081, was diverted and was heading back to Dubai, according to Flightradar24. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The pilot accused of carrying out the stabbing was arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| A former pilot questioned how a weapon came to be on the plane. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
| Passengers returned to Tel Aviv and were met with celebrations at Ben Gurion Airport. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The pilot who was attacked was named as Schmidt Machar, an Indian national. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Everyone survived after the plane dropped over 10,000 feet during the cockpit incident. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| An off-duty British pilot regained control of the plunging airliner. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | ||||||||
| Initial reports of a hijacking were reported to be incorrect. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Tabuk Airport was coordinating with Flydubai to secure a replacement aircraft to transport passengers. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Flydubai flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai to Tel Aviv. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| An expert stated the aircraft was likely close to structural failure. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Images showed the 737's rudder had been torn from its tail fin. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Israeli security officials indicated the incident was a lone wolf attack. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Netanyahu praised the stabbed Indian pilot as a hero for opening the cockpit door. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Israel reported the incident was an attack on the Abraham Accords with the UAE. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| A passenger recorded video from inside the aircraft. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| An Israeli embassy spokesperson said authorities were investigating whether the incident was a state-sponsored attack. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Netanyahu praised the passengers and crew for their courage after the violent incident. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| An aviation expert described the incident as incredibly rare. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| A UK minister said the government was examining how to keep Britain safe on flights to Israel. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| An investigation into the motive was ongoing. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.
Timeline
Where this topic appeared. Cells show coverage time and are darker when there was more coverage.
| Date | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 30 September 2026 | 38s 1.7% | 7m 7s 6.0% | 4m 35s 4.7% | — | 34s 1.1% | — | — | — |
| Wednesday 9 September 2026 | — | — | — | — | 22s 0.7% | — | 5m 33s 4.5% | — |
| Tuesday 8 September 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | 3m 40s 4.4% | — | 12m 43s 11.9% |
| Monday 7 September 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2m 19s 2.2% |
| Tuesday 1 September 2026 | — | — | 3m 14s 3.1% | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tuesday 18 August 2026 | — | 2m 5s 4.4% | — | — | — | — | — | — |