Flydubai Flight To Israel Diverted After Co-Pilot Allegedly Stabs Captain, Attempts To Bring Down Plane

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 30 Sep 2026, after an altercation in the cockpit left both pilots injured.

Flight FZ1073 issued emergency signals before landing safely at Tabuk Airport. Israeli officials said the co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to bring down the aircraft, but passengers and crew intervened and overpowered him.

The airline said the cause and motive remain under investigation.

The aircraft was carrying 174 people, most of them Israeli nationals. The injured captain, identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, was taken to hospital and reported to be in stable condition.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Machchhar for helping prevent a potential disaster.

Netanyahu said Machchhar, despite being seriously injured, fought back and opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.

Israel will now carry out security checks on the identities of all pilots flying into the country following the Flydubai cockpit incident, Doron Spielman, a spokesman for PM Netanyahu said.

Spielman also told news platform Reuters that Israeli authorities would "know the pilots' identities" and conduct security checks on those flying into Israel.

Flydubai has since suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues. The passengers were later flown to Tel Aviv on a replacement aircraft.

Israel is known for some of the world's strictest aviation security measures, with extensive passenger and baggage screening at Ben Gurion Airport and additional security measures for aircraft and pilots.

Israeli airline El Al has also equipped its commercial aircraft with C-MUSIC, an airborne missile-defence system developed by Elbit Systems.

The system detects incoming missiles and uses an infrared laser to disrupt their guidance systems.