Co-pilot stabbed pilot on Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv before passengers and crew subdued the attacker and diverted to Saudi Arabia

A co-pilot stabbed the pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv in an apparent attempt to crash the plane, before passengers and crew overpowered the attacker and diverted the aircraft to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

The pilot was identified as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, who was taken to hospital in Tabuk and is in stable condition, according to the Indian embassy. Netanyahu wrote on X that Machchhar fought back despite serious injuries. “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,” Netanyahu wrote. He said Machchhar saved 174 lives.

Extreme altitude fluctuations and emergency signals

The flight took off from Dubai International Airport at 03:05 GMT, en route to Ben-Gurion Airport. Around two and a half hours into the journey, the plane dropped more than 17,000 feet in less than two minutes. FlightRadar24 data showed a separate window in which the plane dropped over 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds, with vertical speeds ranging from approximately -30,000 to +10,000 feet per minute. Normal vertical speeds rarely exceed plus or minus 4,000 feet per minute, according to the tracking site. The plane then broadcast squawk 7700, the general emergency code, before switching to squawk 7500, the hijacking code, and later returning to squawk 7700. Both the Israeli and Saudi Arabian air forces dispatched fighter jets after the incident.

Passenger broke into the cockpit

Yaniv Hayun was identified as the passenger who broke into the cockpit and restrained the attacker. Hayun said he put the attacker in a chokehold, pulled the controls, and after the plane levelled out another pilot took over. He said the stabbed pilot was close to the door, making it hard to open. “The pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door, so it was hard for us to open it,” Hayun said in a video posted by the prime minister’s office. Passenger Zvika Meness told Kan News that passengers tied the attacker with his own zip ties and multimedia headphones. Netanyahu called Hayun a hero who deserved a global medal of honor.

Flydubai said in a statement that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and the flight was secured by on-duty crew travelling on the flight who diverted and landed safely at Tabuk. The airline did not mention a stabbing in its statement and urged parties to refrain from speculation. “Our immediate priority is to ensure the ongoing safety, health, and wellbeing of all passengers and crew members involved in this incident and support the official investigation,” a Flydubai spokesperson said.

No motive established

No motive has been established, and the attacker is being interrogated by Saudi authorities. Netanyahu told Fox News the pilot was under investigation in Saudi Arabia before being expected to return to the UAE, and said Israel was likely to contribute to the investigation. US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu and that the attacker was perhaps a terrorist or there were other reasons. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called it an attempted jihadist terror attack without giving details.

More than 170 people were on board. The passengers, almost all Israeli, arrived in Tel Aviv on a repatriation flight at around 18:40 local time. Crowds played music, sang, danced, and waved Israeli flags. A paramedic from Israel’s ambulance service said people were very emotional and crying as they came off the plane. “There are children and families here who have been through a very severe, highly traumatic event,” Meness said.