Flydubai pilot injured as flight-deck altercation forces emergency landing in Saudi Arabia

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after an altercation in the cockpit in which the pilot was stabbed by the co-pilot. Flydubai said flight FZ 1073 landed safely and that all passengers were accounted for. The airline said the reasons for the flight-deck altercation and the underlying motives remained unknown and were subject to a formal investigation.

The injured pilot, identified by Israeli officials as Captain Smit Machchhar, reportedly opened the cockpit door after being attacked, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. The aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was then diverted to northwestern Saudi Arabia. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted jihadist terror attack, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to determine who was behind it.

He said Israel might participate in the investigation, while the co-pilot was being investigated in Saudi Arabia. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was in stable condition and receiving treatment at a hospital in Tabuk. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him as a hero, saying his actions helped protect the lives of others.

Flydubai suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continued. Passengers from the diverted flight later reached Israel on a replacement aircraft, where Netanyahu met some of them. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft losing a substantial amount of altitude near the Saudi-Jordan border.

Israeli media reported that fighter jets were scrambled amid initial fears of a hijacking, but that possibility was later dismissed. Flydubai urged against premature speculation while authorities establish the facts.