Co-pilot stabs captain on Dubai–Tel Aviv flight, forcing emergency landing in Saudi Arabia
October 2, 2026 at 06:34 AM · Updated 14d ago
Coverage
9 reports · 5 in Arabic, 4 in English · over 23 hours
الإمارات.. "الطيران المدني" تشيد بشجاعة قائد وطاقم فلاي دبي
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Aviation security back in spotlight after nightmare on flydubai flight to Israel
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"فلاي دبي" تعلن إجراء تحقيق شامل في واقعة طائرة تل أبيب
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"لم أكن لأسمح بموت الآخرين" - طيار رحلة فلاي دبي يصف هجوماً على قمرة القيادة من قبل مساعد الطيار
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12 minutes of madness: How Flydubai pilot, passengers saved plane midfall
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‘I was fighting for my life’: Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls flydubai cockpit attack
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Friday briefing: How we covered the flydubai incident as it unfolded
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حادثة "فلاي دبي" تشعل السجال السياسي بإسرائيل وتوقظ كابوس الاختطاف
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بعد إعلان حالة الطوارئ.. بيان مهم من السعودية يكشف تفاصيل حادث طائرة «فلاي دبي»
(opens the publisher’s site)A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after its co-pilot stabbed the captain, prompting an international probe.
- Flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers and eight crew from Dubai, landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after plunging 17,000 feet in under two minutes.
- The Saudi Interior Ministry said the co-pilot attacked the captain; the co-pilot, an Omani national, had stabbed the captain, who then released the cockpit door so passengers and crew could overpower him.
- Netanyahu said it was too early to determine Iranian involvement, claiming the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination.
- flydubai suspended all flights to and from Israel, warning against "premature speculation" about the incident.
- The stabbed captain was identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, who is now recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital.
- Machchhar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call that he was 'fighting for his life' in the cockpit.
- Netanyahu praised Captain Smit Machchhar as a 'true hero' in the wake of the attack.
- The UAE launched an investigation into whether the incident was linked to terrorist activity.
- flydubai announced a comprehensive official investigation into the incident, while authorities conduct the full inquiry.
- CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said the captain returned to the UAE after a medical assessment and all passengers arrived safely.
- Two off-duty pilots helped regain control of the aircraft after passengers subdued the co-pilot, with the flight landing in Tabuk about 90 minutes later.
- The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority praised Captain Machchhar, the crew, and passengers for their bravery and swift response.