A Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September was thrown into crisis when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, in the cockpit. There were 174 people on board flight FZ1073. The aircraft reportedly dropped from about 33,000 feet to around 17,000 feet before control was regained. Despite serious wounds, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to overpower the attacker.
An Israeli passenger, Yaniv Hayun, and two off-duty pilots on board helped stabilise the plane, which made an emergency landing at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Nobody else suffered serious injury. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the captain a true hero who saved every life aboard, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the whole world was proud of him. The co-pilot, reported to be an Omani national, was taken into custody by Saudi authorities, and Netanyahu said he appeared to be radicalised and suicidal, while Israel’s defence minister called it an attempted terror attack.
Netanyahu added that there was no evidence tying Iran to the incident. The UAE has opened a formal investigation, including into possible terrorism links, and the suspect is expected to be handed over for questioning there with Israeli participation. India’s embassy said Machchhar was in stable condition and he was later flown to Abu Dhabi for treatment, where he is recovering. Flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel pending the probe, and Israel has said it will tighten vetting of pilot identities before entry.