Netanyahu Says Pilot's Actions Prevented A Disaster After Attack On Tel Aviv-Bound Flight
Israel treating cockpit stabbing on flydubai FZ1073 as a terror incident, with the co-pilot in Saudi custody
 |
| Image Source: @netanyahu on X |
Benjamin Netanyahu said that as flydubai flight FZ1073 approached Israel, one pilot stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with everyone on board. The flight, from Dubai to Ben Gurion airport, was carrying 174 people, among them Israeli citizens and nationals of other countries.
The injured pilot was named by Netanyahu and by Israel's foreign ministry as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, Netanyahu said, he fought back, resisted and opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.
"He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals," Netanyahu said. "He is a true hero." He told CNN separately that the captain had prevented a disaster on the scale of the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Israel's foreign ministry described Machchhar as a hero and wished him a full and speedy recovery.
The aircraft lost altitude sharply during the struggle. Passengers and off-duty crew entered the cockpit, subdued the attacker and brought the aircraft under control. It was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. No passengers were injured. Saudi authorities said two crew members were taken to hospital.
Machchhar underwent surgery and is in a stable condition. A dentist travelling as a passenger who treated him during the flight told CNN the captain had suffered massive blood loss and had been severely wounded, and that a few more moments would have cost him his life.
The passengers were flown on to Israel aboard a replacement flydubai aircraft and landed at Ben Gurion on Wednesday evening.
The co-pilot has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, Netanyahu said. An Omani official confirmed to CBS News that the man was born in Oman. Israeli officials have said they are treating the incident as a terror attack. No charge has been announced, and no motive has been established.
Flydubai said another off-duty flydubai crew member travelling on the flight assisted, and that the airline would issue a statement after examining the cockpit voice recorder. The airline is state-owned and based in Dubai.
Machchhar, 13 years into his flying career, joined flydubai in 2022 after eleven years with the Indian carrier SpiceJet, where he worked as a line training captain. He has logged more than 9,750 hours on Boeing 737 aircraft. He trained in New Zealand, spending eighteen months at a flight school in Dunedin.
India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, also praised him. "In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others," Modi wrote. "His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy."
Flydubai began operating flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv after the United Arab Emirates and Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020.