FlyDubai captain stabbed mid-flight; passengers subdue attacker and plane lands safely in Saudi Arabia
A copilot on a FlyDubai flight to Israel stabbed the captain, but passengers forced their way into the cockpit, overpowered the attacker and guided the jet to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
On a FlyDubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a copilot stabbed the captain, Smit Machchhar, prompting a rapid descent from 33,000 to 17,000 feet. Passengers forced the cockpit door open, engaged the attacker and, following the captain’s instructions, a passenger manually lifted the nose of the aircraft. The plane, which lost a large portion of its rudder, made an erratic circuit near the Jordanian border before touching down in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, about an hour later.
Saudi officials arrested the copilot, and the Indian Embassy confirmed the captain was in stable condition. Netanyahu highlighted the captain’s bravery and the passengers’ role in saving 174 lives. After the incident, the travelers completed their journey on another flight and were welcomed with cheers in Israel. FlyDubai, a UAE-government carrier and Emirates sister airline, operates a fleet of 98 Boeing 737s and reported 15.7 million passengers in 2025.
Why it matters
The incident highlights in-flight security risks and the crucial role of passenger intervention in averting a disaster.
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