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Flydubai hijacking probe after co-pilot stabs captain

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 6:02 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Flydubai co-pilot attacks

UAE opened a hijacking investigation after a Flydubai co-pilot stabbed the captain on Flight FZ1073.
Captain Smit Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door so passengers could intervene.
Israeli passengers, including a plumber and a dentist, subdued the Omani co-pilot in the cockpit.
Off-duty Flydubai pilots stabilized the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and landed it in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
All 174 occupants, including 27 children, survived the emergency landing.

Summary

Machchhar recites Chalisa

Capt. Smit Machchhar recited the Hindu Hanuman Chalisa during the attack, saying it gave him courage.
He trained 18 months at Mainland Air in Dunedin, New Zealand before joining SpiceJet.
Machchhar has logged over 9,750 flying hours, including more than 6,400 as pilot-in-command.
After eleven years at SpiceJet, he joined Flydubai in 2022 and now stresses personal-life balance for a long career.

History

Historical Context

On 24 December 1994, four gunmen hijacked Air France Flight 8969 in Algiers; French GIGN commandos stormed the Airbus at Marseille, killing the hijackers and prompting Air France to suspend flights to Algeria until 2004. The recent Flydubai Flight FZ1073 saw co-pilot Smit Machchhar and Israeli passengers restrain an Omani attacker, echoing the enduring need for vigilant crew and passenger response.

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Flydubai co-pilot attacks

UAE opened a hijacking investigation after a Flydubai co-pilot stabbed the captain on Flight FZ1073.
Captain Smit Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door so passengers could intervene.
Israeli passengers, including a plumber and a dentist, subdued the Omani co-pilot in the cockpit.
Off-duty Flydubai pilots stabilized the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and landed it in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
All 174 occupants, including 27 children, survived the emergency landing.

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