Flydubai incident: Captain Smit Machchhar stabbed, Israel-bound flight diverted to Saudi Arabia—what happened? Timeline

An Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash a Flydubai flight, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Investigations are ongoing. Captain Smit Machchhar, wounded, managed to assist in restraining the attacker.

A Flydubai flight carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to Israel on Wednesday was forced into an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after its co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft.

The Boeing 737, operating as Flydubai flight FZ1073, lost nearly half its altitude in about a minute as passengers, most of them Israelis, feared for their lives. The wounded captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing a passenger and crew member to enter and restrain the attacker.

The emergency occurred a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of possible attacks ahead of Israel’s October 27 election. Netanyahu said Israel had indications that its “enemies” could attempt attacks before the poll, but did not provide details about the nature of the alleged threat, reported Al Jazeera.

Quick answers to key questions

•5

QUESTIONS

The Flydubai flight had to make an emergency landing after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft.

Despite being wounded, Captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing a passenger and crew member to enter and restrain the attacker, while others took control of the aircraft.

Authorities are investigating the possible motives for the attack to determine if it was linked to terrorism or related to mental health issues, as the motive remains unclear.

The UAE government launched an investigation into the incident, given that the aircraft is registered in the UAE, and they are examining whether there are links to terrorist activity.

While incidents like this are rare, airlines and authorities continuously review safety protocols to enhance security, making air travel generally safe despite isolated threats.

The Flydubai aircraft departed Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying 174 people. The distress call came roughly two and a half hours into the flight, at 8:44 am local time.

8:44 am — Fight breaks out in cockpit

Officials later said a fight broke out inside the cockpit. The co-pilot, an Omani national, allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft.

The incident triggered an emergency situation on board as the plane began rapidly losing altitude.

Aircraft drops from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet

The aircraft descended from about 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet, roughly 10,000 metres to 5,100 metres, in about a minute.

The plane then circled near the Jordanian border before eventually heading toward Saudi Arabia.

Captain opens cockpit door

Despite being wounded, Captain Smit Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. A passenger and a crew member rushed inside and restrained the attacker, while other crew members took control of the aircraft.

9:45 am (local time) Saudi Arabia — Flight lands safely in Tabuk

The aircraft landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport, about an hour after the distress call.

A person who heard communications between the aircraft and air traffic control told AP that Saudi Arabia and Jordan initially turned the aircraft away before it was eventually allowed to land in Tabuk. The source spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

9:04 pm IST — Passengers flown to Israel

A replacement Flydubai aircraft transported the passengers from Tabuk to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. The flight arrived at about 15:34 GMT (9:04 pm IST), according to Al Jazeera.

October 1, 12:11 am (IST) — Israel PM posts on X

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing a passenger he had spoken to, said the pilot's action had “enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic midair disaster.”

The cockpit door is normally kept locked during flight as a key aviation security measure, a practice that became standard after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

6:58 am (IST) — PM Modi hails captain Machchhar as hero

Machchhar, who is from Mumbai, has received praise for his actions during the emergency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the captain Machchhar “hero” and lauded him for his bravery, saying he displayed exceptional courage and remained determined to protect others despite sustaining serious injuries in the face of grave danger.

He added Machchhar’s bravery helped save hundreds of lives and prevented a major tragedy.

Who was the attacker?

The suspect is an Omani citizen and was arrested following the incident, according to a regional official briefed on the investigation who spoke to AP anonymously.

The UAE government said its investigation team had begun examining the incident, noting that the aircraft is registered in the UAE and that UAE law applies to crimes committed on board, even outside the country's territory.

What was the motive?

The motive remains unclear.

A regional official said investigators were examining “all possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders”, adding that “Nothing is ruled out for now.”

Israeli intelligence and security officials were also investigating the co-pilot in Saudi Arabia, according to another regional official cited by AP.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have yet to publicly establish why the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain or attempted to bring down the aircraft.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X

Stay updated with the latest Trending, India, World and US news.

HomeNewsWorldFlydubai incident: Captain Smit Machchhar stabbed, Israel-bound flight diverted to Saudi Arabia—what happened? Timeline