A Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flydubai service turned into a mid-air emergency on Wednesday, September 30, when the first officer attacked the captain in the cockpit, before the aircraft diverted and landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying around 174 people, most of them Israeli nationals, was en route when Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot during a violent struggle in the cockpit. Despite his injuries, Machchhar — reportedly lying on the cockpit floor at the time — managed to release the door lock, allowing crew members and passengers to rush in and overpower the attacker. The aircraft then diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah said Machchhar underwent surgery at a hospital in Tabuk and is now in stable condition. He has since been airlifted to the UAE, where India's ambassador visited him. Machchhar, a Mumbai-born pilot with more than 13 years of experience flying the Boeing 737, joined flydubai in 2022 after more than a decade with SpiceJet.
The incident drew reaction from world leaders. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him a hero whose courage saved hundreds of lives, saying India was proud of him, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described him as a "true hero" who saved 174 lives. The episode has renewed scrutiny of cockpit security protocols on flights operating in and out of the Gulf at a time of heightened regional tension.