Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1459 EAT on Thursday 1 October 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the captain of a Flydubai jet as “a true hero” after he helped save all 174 people on board when he was allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot attempted to bring down the aircraft during the incident.
Netanyahu’s comments on Wednesday came as the Israeli government announced plans to check the identities of all pilots flying into the country.
Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel as it investigates the incident on Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu said the captain, Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, “fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker”.
Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar helped prevent what Netanyahu described as “a catastrophic mid-air disaster”.
“He is a true hero,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 made an emergency landing in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia, after the incident. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that the aircraft descended from 33,000 feet (about 10,000 metres) to 17,000 feet (about 5,200 metres) in about a minute.
Netanyahu said most of the passengers were Israeli and that the co-pilot had “apparently intended to bring the aircraft down as it approached Israel”. The co-pilot has not been identified.
Netanyahu said Saudi authorities arrested and questioned the co-pilot after the plane landed.
A motive for the incident has not yet been established.
Doron Spielman, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said Israel would begin vetting the identities of all pilots flying into the country.
“Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots’ identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check,” he told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu about the incident and was told that an Israeli passenger intervened to help prevent the plane from crashing.
Trump said the co-pilot may have attacked the captain before the pilot managed to open the cockpit door and call for help. He said passengers then restrained the attacker and helped stabilise the aircraft.
Flydubai later operated a rescue flight that carried the passengers from Tabuk to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, arriving at 15:34 GMT.
‘We’re going to die’
Passengers described the incident as a terrifying experience and credited those who intervened with helping prevent a disaster.
Yaniv Hayun, who entered the cockpit, said he grabbed the controls and pulled them back, based on what he had seen on television, before crew members took over.
Netanyahu’s office released a video showing the prime minister embracing Hayun at Ben Gurion Airport. Hayun was still wearing the bloodstained shirt he had worn during the flight.
Asaf Rajuan, who helped restrain the attacker, said he acted instinctively to protect his family.
“This is something you do without thinking, just running to save your daughter’s life, your family’s life,” he said.
Another passenger, Almog Italie, said the aircraft descended “very, very sharply” before stabilising and then dropping several more times.
Naama Bershadski said she closed her eyes and prayed, thinking, “We’re going to die.”
India’s Embassy in Riyadh said Captain Smit Machchhar, the Flydubai pilot injured in the incident, has been admitted to a hospital in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia, where he is receiving medical treatment.
The embassy said it was awaiting a full update on his condition but added that he was reported to be in stable condition.
-Aljazeera
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