Indian pilot hailed hero after thwarting hijack attempt on flydubai flight

An Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, is being lauded as a hero for his bravery during an attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, September 30. Machchhar sustained critical injuries after being stabbed by his Omani co-pilot, who reportedly intended to crash the plane.

Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. Two flydubai pilots who were on board as passengers then took control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and successfully landed it in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. All 174 people on board, including Israelis and other nationals, were reported safe apart from Machchhar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to Captain Machchhar's "extraordinary bravery," stating that his actions prevented a "catastrophic mid-air disaster." Netanyahu also met with passenger Yaniv Hayoun, who described how he and others subdued the co-pilot and how Hayoun then took control of the aircraft, drawing on knowledge from watching "Air Crash Investigations."

flydubai has announced a temporary suspension of its 10 daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv for six days to allow authorities to investigate the incident. The airline is coordinating with government authorities and regulators and is working to assist affected passengers.