The co-pilot of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv allegedly stabbed the captain on Wednesday morning, triggering a battle in the cockpit during which the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged 14,300 feet in roughly 30 seconds over northern Saudi Arabia. The jet broadcast a hijack alert and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited its wounded Indian captain with fighting back and opening the cockpit door so that passengers and crew could overpower the attacker.
Machchhar underwent surgery and is stable, while the other pilot, whose name was not known at the time of going to press, was arrested by Saudi authorities. It was not clear if this was indeed the case or just Netanyahu’s estimation of what transpired.
The captain, Smit Machchhar, is from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai and was based in Dubai for work, people aware of the matter told HT. Both pilots were hospitalised, Tabuk Airport said. In an earlier video message, Netanyahu said the pilot who attacked his colleague wanted to crash the airliner, and that another crew that happened to be on board stabilised the aircraft after the attacker was subdued.
Egypt rejected the American finding. Israel has no diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. The UAE has not commented.
The plane carried about 150 Israelis, Israeli media reported, and flydubai said all passengers were safe. The closest precedent is EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767 that crashed into the Atlantic in October 1999 after its relief first officer deliberately put it into a dive, according to US investigators at the time. The plane fell from about 33,000 feet to about 16,000 feet in roughly 36 seconds as the captain, who had returned to the cockpit, tried to pull it out. It climbed briefly before breaking up, killing all 217 people on board. It has built close security and economic ties with the UAE since 2020, and Netanyahu met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday. The airline has flown between Dubai and Tel Aviv since late 2020 and runs 70 flights a week on the route, according to its website. Earlier reporting noted: flydubai announced that they are suspending their 10 daily scheduled flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv for the next six days as the incident is investigated.
Parag Shah, the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Ghatkopar East, said he had spoken to Machchhar’s family and that Machchhar “is safe and receiving treatment”. His parents have left for Dubai, Shah said. “The government is taking care of him,” he said. A passenger on the flight – FZ1073 – Miriam Abukasis, heard screaming and saw a man with a knife force one of the pilots to the floor, with blood everywhere, her mother Yasmin told Reuters in Tel Aviv. In a video purportedly recorded by another passenger and carried widely by Israeli media, the passenger said one pilot was seriously hurt and the other slightly. Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu, first ruled out a hijacking and two hours later said that assessment had changed, according to Bloomberg. Netanyahu held security consultations and cleared his schedule for the day, an Israeli official told Reuters. His office said all measures were being taken to bring the Israeli passengers home, and the transport ministry said Emirati authorities were working on their return. Flydubai, Emirates’s sister carrier, has said only that the flight had an incident and diverted to Tabuk. Earlier reporting noted: Israel’s Netanyahu hails Indian pilot Smit Machchar’s heroics in saving 174 lives aboard flydubai aircraft Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to Indian pilot Smit Machchar’s “extraordinary bravery” for opening the cockpit door on time despite being stabbed by his Omani co-pilot mid-air. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi officials have questioned the Omani co-pilot. A spokesperson for flydubai said in a statement that the suspension is temporary and “will allow relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts.”
Earlier reporting noted: The incident is being probed by flydubai along with other investigating authorities.
