Indian captain identified after flydubai cockpit stabbing and diversion
Indian national Smit Machchhar has been identified as the flydubai captain injured during a cockpit confrontation that diverted a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight to Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were hospitalised. Israeli officials said the co-pilot tried to interfere with the aircraft’s systems, while an investigation examines how the incident began.
Indian national Smit Machchhar has been identified as the flydubai captain who was stabbed during a cockpit confrontation that led to the diversion of flight FZ1073 to Saudi Arabia, sources told India Today. The aircraft had been travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it was diverted to Tabuk Airport on Wednesday. Both pilots were injured and taken to hospital after the incident.
Passengers received assistance after the plane landed safely. Mr Machchhar, who is of Gujarati origin, joined flydubai as a direct-entry captain in June 2022, according to the sources. Before that, he worked for SpiceJet for nearly 11 years.
He is a Boeing 737 fleet specialist and has worked in safety, compliance and pilot mentoring, the sources said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft after stabbing the captain. He said passengers and another crew member entered the cockpit after the aircraft entered a tailspin and began to dive, and helped regain control.
Mr Netanyahu described the episode as a serious security incident and said Saudi authorities would question the co-pilot, who was arrested after landing. An Israeli official identified the alleged attacker as an Omani national. Flight-tracking data indicated that the aircraft descended by almost 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before transmitting its first emergency signal.
Officials initially gave differing descriptions, with a spokesperson for Mr Netanyahu’s office saying around the time of landing that it was not believed to be a hijacking. Israeli officials later assessed the incident as an attempted terror attack. They said there was no indication at that stage that it was connected to a mental-health issue involving either pilot.
The investigation remains under way. Authorities are examining what occurred in the cockpit, how the confrontation began and how the aircraft was brought safely to the ground. The available material does not provide a statement from flydubai or a final official account of the incident.
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