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Captain Smit Machchhar of FlyDubai described to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu how he fought off an attacking co-pilot on flight FZ1073, saving the lives of 174 passengers and six crew members. During a critical moment when his vision was badly blurred from repeated blows, Captain Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door with "a sharp, quick turn" after multiple failed attempts, allowing passengers to enter and subdue the co-pilot. Netanyahu praised Machchhar as a hero and invited him to light a celebratory flame on Israel’s next Independence Day.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency over Jordanian airspace, leading it to divert and land at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The plane had initially transmitted distress signals before switching to codes indicating possible hijacking but reverted back to general emergency alerts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened urgent consultations regarding the incident, with Israel's air force scrambling jets due to initial fears of a hijack attempt. However, security officials later revealed that the alert was triggered by a physical altercation between the pilots rather than a hijacking threat; all passengers were reported safe upon landing.
Written for “Israel Bound Flight Diverted” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 298 other(s) covering the same event.
FlyDubai hero captain Smit Machchhar described to Israeli prime minister Benjanim Netanyahu how the attack started and how he managed to finally open the cockpit door after nearly losing his vision under the co-pilot’s repeated blows.
asserted
he → describe → blows
The FlyDubai hero captain revealed new details of his fight to save the passengers aboard flight FZ1073 in an emotional telephone conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, released by his office on Saturday evening.
asserted
captain → reveal → evening
Captain Smit Machchhar told Netanyahu he felt he had “one more fight left” in him when in a critical state he reached for the cockpit door once again to save the 174 passengers and 6 crew members, while the co-pilot kept attacking him and putting the aircraft in a steep defence.
asserted
pilot → tell → defence
He described how the attack started saying that the co-pilot asked to pray in the cockpit which he did not consider an unusual request and “and out of respect for him, I didn’t look back.”
asserted
I → describe → him
“A few minutes later, I felt a strong impact and thought something had happened to the plane.
asserted
something → feel → plane
But then I was hit again and realized it was him.
asserted
it → hit → ?
I opened the cockpit door once, but he closed it, and I fell to the floor,” the captain said.
asserted
captain → open → floor
Machchhar said his vision became badly blurred and he felt how the aircraft went into a steep descent.
asserted
aircraft → say → descent
He tried to open the cockpit door once again, but the co-pilot kept closing it while passengers were trying to get in using the access code.
asserted
passengers → try → code
Netanyahu asked him if the door was closed with a pin mechanism and the captain answered that on the inside of the cockpit the door had a twist handle and that from the outside it could be opened with a code.
Machchhar remembered hearing the whooshing sound of the aircraft plunging downwards and the passengers screaming.
Realising what was happening, he told Netanyahu how he reached for the internal twist handle and with “a sharp, quick turn” managed to finally open the door, letting the passengers in who subdued the co-pilot and stabilised the plane.
The Israeli prime minister told him that he is a hero with “an unbelievable courage, inviting him and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame on Israel’s next Independence Day, the highest honour usually reserved for Israeli citizens.
uncertain
he → ask → citizens
I wish you a very speedy and complete recovery," Netanyahu told captain Machchhar.
asserted
Netanyahu → wish → Machchhar
Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Yossi Shelley was at his bedside during the call and together with Netanyahu invited Machchhar and his family to visit Israel as soon as he is able, to receive the embrace and love that the entire country wants to give him.
Dubai's Crown Prince and UAE Minister of Defence Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid also visited Machchhar in hospital hailing the captain’s bravery, stating that he “embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life.
asserted
he → invite → life
“From us, and from the leadership of the nation, he has our full appreciation and praise.
asserted
he → have → appreciation
We are proud that he is part of our team, part of the story of our nation and part of what the UAE stands for a nation of compassion, a nation of peace and a nation of life,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said.
asserted
Mohammed → stand → life
In a new development on Sunday, British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the FlyDubai flight copilot, named by multiple media outlets as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, studied aviation at the UK-based Buckinghamshire New University.
asserted
copilot → report → University
The Telegraph said that during his time at the university, al-Hammami commented in social media posts that women should be “stomped on” and praised giving a woman a “pre-emptive slap.”
asserted
women → say → slap
He also appeared to praise Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Telegraph said.
asserted
Telegraph → appear → Ukraine
The co-pilot used a crash axe against the captain and “attempted to carry out a terrorist attack”, the United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general said on Saturday, while the UAE president's diplomatic adviser Dr Anwar Gargash called the incident "a dangerous terrorist act".
asserted
adviser → use → incident
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