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Flydubai Seeks Reentry to Tel Aviv After Midair Attack
Confirmed
In Short: Flydubai is seeking to resume flights to Tel Aviv following an incident on September 30, 2026, where an Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, prevented a co-pilot from attempting to crash a flight.
The flight, FZ1073, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot, an Omani national, stabbed Machchhar and tried to disable the plane's instruments.
Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the attacker as the aircraft descended sharply.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Machchhar as a hero, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also commended his actions.
The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, carrying over 170 passengers, was diverted to Saudi Arabia after signaling emergency codes.
Machchhar, who joined flydubai in 2022, previously worked with SpiceJet for a decade.
His heroic actions have brought widespread attention to his career and personal journey.
Despite initial concerns from his family, Machchhar pursued his passion for aviation.
Flydubai's request to resume flights to Tel Aviv remains under review by Israeli authorities.
Israel has not yet given a definitive response to Flydubai's request to resume operations.
What's confirmed
- The flight, FZ1073, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot, an Omani national, stabbed Machchhar and tried to disable the plane's instruments.
- Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the attacker as the aircraft descended sharply.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Machchhar as a hero, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also commended his actions.
- The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, carrying over 170 passengers, was diverted to Saudi Arabia after signaling emergency codes.
- Machchhar, who joined flydubai in 2022, previously worked with SpiceJet for a decade.
- His heroic actions have brought widespread attention to his career and personal journey.
- Despite initial concerns from his family, Machchhar pursued his passion for aviation.
- Flydubai's request to resume flights to Tel Aviv remains under review by Israeli authorities.
- Israel has not yet given a definitive response to Flydubai's request to resume operations.
What's still developing
- It was falling down for 20 or 30 seconds, rapidly, and then balanced, and then started once again to fall down," he said. He added: "We saw that people were rushing to the cockpit.
- He said that inside, the attacker was "trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane".
- "The plane started to level out, a bit more, and then [another] pilot told me he was taking control from there."
- Zvika Manes told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that he and other passengers tied the attacker up "with his own zip ties and with the multimedia headphones".
- Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called the incident an "attempted jihadist terror attack".
- Flydubai flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates at 03:05 GMT (07:05 local time) on Wednesday, en route to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport.
- Minutes later, the plane signalled a "general emergency" code, squawk 7700, before switching to squawk 7500, a code reporting "unlawful interference", or hijacking.
- At 05:40, the plane - which had briefly entered Jordanian airspace - looped back into Saudi Arabia, where it later started its manual descent for landing.
- "They are very brave, they're like, they literally saved our lives. For sure. And we thank them all day long. They are our heroes."
- The brave flydubai pilot, who risked his life to save the lives of 174 passengers, has been identified as Captain Smit Machchhar.
- Before joining the airline, he spent 10 years working with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier.
- In 2011, he joined the airline as a senior commander before eventually assuming the role of a Line Training Captain.