Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Praises Brave Indian Pilot Captain Smit Machchhar Following Dramatic Flydubai Flight Stabbing Incident

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed profound gratitude to Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his remarkable courage in subduing a co-pilot during a violent stabbing attack, ultimately saving 174 lives aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

“My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery,” Netanyahu stated on his official X account on Wednesday evening. Despite sustaining serious stab wounds, Machchhar fought back, resisted, unlocked the cockpit door, and allowed passengers and crew to successfully overpower the attacker, thereby averting a major mid-air disaster.

“He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals,” Netanyahu noted, offering wishes for the pilot's speedy and full recovery and hailing him as a true hero. The accused co-pilot, who allegedly stabbed Machchhar in an attempt to hijack the aircraft, was arrested after the plane touched down in Saudi Arabia.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 issued an emergency alert shortly after departing from Dubai on Wednesday morning, leading to an emergency landing at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport where all passengers remained safe and accounted for, according to the airline. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 identified the aircraft as a Boeing 737 Max 8.

A subsequent rescue flight operated by Flydubai transported all passengers from Tabuk to their final destination at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport at 15:34 GMT. Upon arrival, the passengers were greeted by Netanyahu, an action that Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized as cheap politics ahead of this month’s elections.