Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised an Indian pilot after a serious incident on a Flydubai flight. The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when an altercation broke out inside the aircraft. The plane later made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Indian national Smit Machchhar was identified as the pilot.
Netanyahu credited him and several passengers with helping prevent a possible disaster. Reports say Machchhar’s co-pilot attacked him during the flight. The aircraft then rapidly lost altitude while flying over Jordan.
Flightradar24 data showed the plane lost about 17,000 feet within one minute. Passengers then rushed toward the cockpit as the situation developed. Flydubai said all passengers were safe after the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia. The airline said it did not immediately know the reasons for the altercation. Reports said 166 of the 174 passengers were Israeli nationals. The flight was initially headed toward Tel Aviv before it was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu later praised Machchhar for his actions during the incident. He described the pilot’s response as an act of extraordinary bravery.
The Israeli prime minister also praised passengers who helped control the attacker. He said their actions helped prevent a major disaster. An Israeli passenger was also credited with helping overpower the co-pilot. Netanyahu identified the passenger as Yanik and described him as a plumber. The incident caused concern among passengers as the aircraft descended toward Saudi Arabia. Several passengers described the situation as frightening and chaotic. One passenger said the aircraft appeared to be out of control during the incident. Other passengers helped take control of the situation near the cockpit.
The Indian Embassy said Machchhar was receiving treatment at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised the pilot. Modi described Machchhar as a hero and said his courage helped save hundreds of lives. After the emergency landing, another Flydubai aircraft transported passengers to Tel Aviv. The replacement flight later landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport.
Flydubai said it was suspending flights to Israel while an investigation continued. The airline also confirmed that another on-duty crew helped divert and safely land the aircraft. Israeli officials described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. However, Netanyahu said it was too early to determine who was behind the incident. Authorities continued investigating the events that occurred during the flight. The circumstances surrounding the confrontation between the pilots remained under examination.
The incident has drawn international attention because of the rapid response by the crew and passengers.
The incident follows reports about an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight landing in Saudi Arabia after a brawl between pilots.