Indian pilot hailed after foiling alleged cockpit attack on Flydubai flight

Captain Smit Machchhar was hailed after a Flydubai flight made an emergency landing in Tabuk following an alleged cockpit attack. Passenger and crew intervention, alongside the injured captain's actions, is believed to have averted a mass-casualty disaster.

In Short

• Flight FZ1073 carrying 174 passengers diverted to Tabuk after cockpit violence
• Twenty-seven children were onboard as injured pilots received treatment in hospital
• Passengers and crew reportedly entered the cockpit during the plane's steep descent

Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following an alleged mid-air attack in the cockpit. Netanyahu said Machchhar fought off his co-pilot, who allegedly tried to crash the aircraft, and helped prevent a disaster aboard flight FZ1073.

The aircraft, carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, landed safely in Tabuk and all passengers were later flown to Tel Aviv on a rescue flight. Flydubai said there had been an in-flight "altercation" and that all passengers and crew were safe, while Saudi authorities said both the captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital. The incident is under investigation.

Netanyahu described Machchhar as a "true hero" and said, "despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker - preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster." He said the captain "saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals" and added, "I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery. He is a true hero." Netanyahu also said, "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery." Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said on X that Israelis were praying for "Captain Machchhar, the brave Indian pilot who fought off his co-pilot's mid-air attack to save the Israeli passengers" and added, "In a moment of terror, he showed extraordinary courage. Today, our hearts are with him and his family."

In an earlier statement, Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the aircraft. He said an Israeli passenger told him the plane went into a spin and began descending, after which the passenger and a crew member broke into the cockpit and overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was allegedly trying to sabotage the aircraft's systems. According to Netanyahu, another crew member then entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the plane. "I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster," he said. He added that the pilot accused of carrying out the stabbing had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.

Videos circulated on social media showed the pilot drenched in blood, wearing an oxygen mask and lying on his back in the aircraft galley. Other clips carried by Israeli media showed passengers moving towards the front of the plane while others shouted and asked what was happening. In one video circulated on Israeli social media, a man with blood on his face filmed himself saying, "We're here - the plane - we've just taken control of the terrorists. We're about to land. Anyone who hears me: we need help. We're landing in Tabuk."

Flight FZ1073 transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk. Flydubai said, "The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU). All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for." The airline said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and added, "At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts." Tabuk airport authorities said the captain and first officer were given immediate medical care and passengers were provided assistance at the terminal.

Israeli authorities feared a possible hijacking and scrambled Air Force fighter jets. Hours later, the passengers returned to Tel Aviv on a Flydubai rescue flight. The Jerusalem Post reported that several defence officials had pushed to send an Israeli rescue aircraft to bring the passengers back, but Saudi authorities did not permit it. At Ben Gurion International Airport, Netanyahu met a passenger who entered the cockpit and helped overpower the attacker. According to passengers who spoke to him, the captain managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing after being stabbed, and others then entered and stopped the attacker before he could crash the plane.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the incident aboard the aircraft "was a jihadist terrorist attack attempt, which was thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit and overpowered the terrorist". Passenger accounts described a violent and chaotic scene. Zvika Manes, who said he helped subdue the alleged attacker, told Calcalist that his wife heard shouting and screams near the cockpit before he and others intervened. "I'm covered in blood. It was insane," he was quoted as saying by Ynet. Another passenger, Dalia Shpigel, told Haaretz there were "terrible screams throughout the plane" before "three to five guys burst into the cockpit" and subdued the attacker. Daniel, another passenger, said two off-duty pilots on board took control after the attacker was overpowered. "The spinning stopped. It took some - I don't know, it felt like an eternity, but I think it was two minutes, at least two or three minutes, during which the plane was simply diving and spinning like crazy," he told The Times of Israel. "It felt like, that's it. It's over. September 11 is happening again."

Noa Shpigel, a journalist with Haaretz, told the BBC that her 74-year-old mother was on the Flydubai flight from Kathmandu via Dubai to Israel. After speaking to her mother, she said passengers realised something was wrong when the aircraft began "to jump in the air" and then "dive down". She said they quickly understood there was a serious problem in the cockpit, after which several young Israeli men seated near the front entered and took control. BBC Verify said the seat layout and design in the videos were consistent with a Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. It also said flight-tracking data showed the plane had been cruising at about 34,000 feet before descending by more than 17,000 feet in less than two minutes, and that it later transmitted emergency signals, including a code indicating possible unlawful interference.

Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid said a warning about increased terrorist activity abroad, which he had been briefed on before the incident, was unrelated to what happened on the flight. "The warning about activity abroad is specific, has been in place for more than two years, and has nothing to do with planes or anything resembling what happened this morning," he said on X. He added, "Nothing that even resembles this morning's plane incident appeared in last night's security update with the Prime Minister. Not similar, not reminiscent, not even hinted at." Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for action against "whoever tried to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis." Overall, Israeli leaders, Flydubai and passengers said the aircraft was brought down safely in Tabuk after the alleged cockpit attack was stopped, with Captain Machchhar, crew members and passengers all playing a part in preventing a larger disaster.

With PTI Inputs

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