The captain of the Flydubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent cockpit confrontation has been identified in multiple reports as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national and former SpiceJet pilot. Machchhar was injured in the struggle but is credited in Israeli and Indian media accounts with resisting an alleged attack by his Omani co-pilot and helping prevent the aircraft from crashing.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, departed Dubai International Airport for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv with approximately 174 to 180 people on board, a large number of them Israeli passengers. More than two hours into the flight, a physical confrontation erupted in the cockpit. According to passenger testimony and Israeli officials, the co-pilot stabbed the captain with a knife and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. The jet transmitted the general emergency code 7700 and then the 7500 code used for unlawful interference, and flight-tracking data showed a rapid descent from about 34,000 feet to the mid-teens of thousands of feet before the aircraft was stabilised. Israel scrambled fighter aircraft as a precaution. The flight diverted and landed safely at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for. Both pilots were taken to hospital.
Israeli officials have described the episode as a serious security incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and appeared to have tried to crash the aircraft. Other Israeli sources told international media that the working assessment was an attempted terror attack rather than a medical or mental-health episode, though the motive has not been officially established. Mossad and other Israeli agencies have been reported as participating in the inquiry, alongside Saudi authorities. Flydubai has said it is cooperating with investigators and has not itself publicly named the crew.
Who is Smit Machchhar
Machchhar is an Indian national. He joined Flydubai in June 2022 as a direct-entry captain after more than 11 years with SpiceJet, where colleagues and his professional profile describe him as a senior commander and later a line training captain. According to his LinkedIn profile as cited by News18, he has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and has logged about 9,750 hours on Boeing 737 aircraft, including the 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9. At SpiceJet he logged more than 9,500 hours, including over 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command. His profile also lists work in crew resource management, flight standards and line training. Some Indian reports have described him as Mumbai-based. Flydubai has not issued an official biographical statement confirming the identification.
How the aircraft was brought under control
Passenger accounts describe screams from the forward cabin, blood in and around the cockpit, and a struggle in which the wounded captain resisted being forced from the controls. Several passengers, including off-duty pilots travelling in the cabin, entered the cockpit area, subdued the attacker and helped restore control. An Israeli dentist travelling on the flight was reported to have treated the captain’s wounds. Off-duty flight-crew members among the passengers later assisted in flying the aircraft to Tabuk. No passengers were reported seriously injured.
Investigation and unanswered questions
The co-pilot has been identified in official and media accounts as an Omani national who had worked for Flydubai for less than a year. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and Israeli officials have raised questions about crew-nationality rules on UAE–Israel routes. Israel’s transport minister has been reported as seeking a halt to Flydubai operations into Israel pending review. Saudi authorities are holding and questioning the crew. The precise sequence inside the cockpit, the origin of the weapon, and whether the attack was premeditated remain under investigation.
A replacement Flydubai aircraft was sent to Tabuk to continue the passengers’ journey. The airline reiterated that passenger and crew safety was its priority and that further updates would follow verified information.
The incident remains an active multi-jurisdiction investigation. Identification of the captain as Smit Machchhar rests on reporting by The Economic Times, News18, The Week and Israeli outlets citing security sources and professional records; it has not been independently confirmed in a Flydubai press release.
