flydubai news: Report says flydubai flights to Israel halted over copilot's Omani background

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flydubai incident LIVE: Here are the key developments so far:

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots who allegedly tried to crash a FlyDubai flight.
• The pilot-in-command aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national.
• FlyDubai said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while an investigation takes place. Saudi authorities also said an investigation was underway.
• US President Donald Trump said the co-pilot was ‘perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job’.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a “hero” and said that he was “praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health”.
• Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would investigate the "root" of the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash a flydubai flight bound for Israel.

flydubai incident LIVE: Dr Janit Shah, a former neighbour of Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar, described him as a “talented, soft-spoken, and good man”, saying he had known Machchhar for 10-15 years before the pilot moved to Dubai two-three years ago.

Shah said he was “incredible” for saving 174 lives despite being stabbed, and expressed hope for his speedy recovery and for his family to recover from the shock, reported ANI.

flydubai incident LIVE: An Israeli passenger on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv said he strangled the co-pilot and dragged him out of the cockpit after the ‘terrorist’ allegedly stabbed the captain and caused the aircraft to suddenly lose altitude on Wednesday.

Yaniv Hayun told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he and other passengers stepped in after the injured captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, opened the cockpit door.

Hayun and other passengers then entered the cockpit and restrained the alleged attacker, who was allegedly attempting to damage the aircraft's controls and disable the plane. Read full story here.

flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would investigate the "root" of the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash a flydubai flight bound for Israel. He also said Israel would "possibly" take part in the investigation into the incident.

"We'll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we'll find out very soon," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News on the network's "Hannity" programme.

flydubai incident LIVE: Smit Machchhar has served as a captain on flydubai's Boeing 737 fleet since June 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. His profile shows 9,750 flying hours on the 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 and 9.

Machchhar is from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai and was living in Dubai for work, people aware of the matter told HT. Read more details here.

flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli transportation minister Miri Regev on Wednesday asked the Shin Bet (Israel security agency) to suspend all flydubai flights entering or leaving the country following the suspected attempted hijacking of a passenger aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a source in the ministry told The Jerusalem Post.

The request came after unverified reports suggested that the co-pilot suspected of attempting to hijack the aircraft may be of Omani origin. Israeli sources later told the Post that initial investigations indicated that the suspected hijacker was believed to be an Omani national.

Flydubai’s agreement to operate in Israel specifically requires all pilots to be nationals of countries that have normalised relations with Israel. Oman is not among those countries.

flydubai incident LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that it was too early to determine who was behind the failed attempt to crash a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, adding that Israel would "possibly" take part in the investigation.

"It's too early to say, the attacking pilot is .. now being investigated in Saudi Arabia. I think he'll be taken to the Emirates, where he comes from, or at least where he left, where he flew off from, and we'll be following and possibly also participating in this investigation," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News on the network's "Hannity" programme.

Netanyahu made the remarks while responding to a question on whether there was any indication of Iranian involvement in the incident.

flydubai incident LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a “hero” and said that he was “praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health”.

“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar,” Modi wrote on X.

flydubai incident LIVE: Israel plans to tighten security checks for pilots flying into the country, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office said, after alleging that a flydubai co-pilot stabbed the pilot and tried to crash the aircraft while it was headed to Tel Aviv.

"Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Reuters.

He said Netanyahu had directed authorities to "ramp up security" on flights to Israel operated by both Israeli and foreign airlines.

Flydubai incident LIVE: US President Donald Trump praised the flydubai pilot as a "hero" after he fought off a knife attack by his co-pilot, opened the cockpit door and called for help, preventing an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft.

"The pilot was in very bad shape; I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero," Trump said while recalling his conversation with Netanyahu.

Flydubai incident LIVE: Captain Smit Machchhar hails from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai and was living in Dubai for work, people familiar with the matter told HT.

Machchhar underwent surgery and is in stable condition, while the co-pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities.

Flydubai incident LIVE: US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the mid-air scare on flydubai flight.

Speaking to the media about the incident, Trump said, "I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu about this incident. It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot. The pilot was in very bad shape. But in a way, he was a hero to open the door."

Trump also praised the passenger’s “amazing” efforts to overpower the attacker.

Four American citizens who also hold Israeli nationality were among the passengers on the Israel-bound Flydubai flight, according to two US officials.

The passengers later reached Israel safely on a replacement Flydubai flight after the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

The flight had plunged thousands of feet after one pilot allegedly stabbed the other in the cockpit. Passenger Assaf Rajuan said the attacker was “neutralized” by passengers and crew.

US Senator Tim Sheehy, who is also a certified pilot, praised Indian Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar for his actions during the cockpit attack.

Sheehy highlighted Machchhar’s response after he was stabbed, as the pilot worked to keep the passenger jet under control and helped create an opportunity for others on board to intervene.

Machchhar’s actions have drawn praise from officials and passengers following the incident.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry called Flydubai Flight 1073 captain Smit Machchhar a “hero” after he was stabbed in the cockpit.

The ministry said Machchhar, despite being seriously injured, managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing Israeli passengers and Emirati crew members to intervene. It said their actions helped save all 174 people on board.

The ministry praised the Indian, Israeli and Emirati passengers and crew for their courage and wished Machchhar a full recovery.

US President Donald Trump praised Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and an Israeli passenger after the cockpit attack on the flight.

Trump described the pilot and passenger as heroes, saying the pilot managed to “level out the plane” after being attacked, while the passenger helped remove the attacker from the cockpit.

Trump also said the pilot had the presence of mind to open the cockpit door after being stabbed, allowing passengers and crew to intervene.

A passenger on the Flydubai flight said the man who attacked the Indian pilot was “neutralized” by passengers and crew, as per CNN.

Assaf Rajuan said he and about five others helped restrain the attacker after the cockpit door opened.

He told CNN, “It wasn’t a prolonged battle; we neutralized him very quickly.” Rajuan said the injured pilot was “wheezing” and unable to speak.

Another passenger, dentist Shota Musaev, said the attacker was restrained using zip ties and headphone cords.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the “extraordinary bravery" of Captain Smit Machchhar with a post on X. He commended Captain Machchhar for "preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster."

"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," Netanyahu wrote. "He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals."

flydubai is working with investigating authorities to understand what led to the incident. For the next six days, the airline is canceling all its flights to Tel Aviv. flydubai has 10 scheduled flights daily between Dubai and Tel Aviv.

The brother of Captain Smit Machchhar is also a pilot and recently joined flydubai. But he is yet to start flying with the carrier.

Two Flydubai pilots flying as passengers took control after the altercation. To be sure, it is not clear how the pilot managed to open the door or how these pilots were able to get in the cockpit since the door was closed at the time of the altercation.

The parents of the Indian captain Smit Machchhar's parents left for Saudi Arabia where Machchhar is being rehabilitated after the incident with Omani copilot. Machchhar's extended family is currently staying in Ghatkopar, a Mumbai suburb.

flydubai incident LIVE: An Indian captain of a Dubai-Tel Aviv Flydubai flight fought off his co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft, which had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Israeli media reports said on Wednesday.

News website Ynet, citing Israeli officials, reported that the co-pilot was an Omani national and was suspected of trying to crash the aircraft. The Indian captain fought with him to prevent the aircraft from crashing, with Israeli passengers later helping subdue the co-pilot, the report said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with passengers on board.

In a statement, Netanyahu said an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began descending, after which the passenger and a crew member managed to break into the cockpit and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems.

According to Netanyahu, another crew member then entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft.

(PTI)

flydubai incident LIVE: The flydubai rescue flight from Saudi Arabia has landed at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, carrying passengers from an earlier diverted flydubai flight, The Times of Israel reported.

According to The Times of Israel, the rescue flight carried about 180 passengers from the diverted Tel Aviv-bound flight, most Israelis.

The flight was diverted amid an altercation in the cockpit, when the passengers in civilian clothes made an emergency landing at the Tabuk airport.

The pilot who was stabbed and severely wounded aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, was an Indian national, Israel’s i24 News reported.

The Indian national reportedly got into the altercation to prevent an alleged attempt to crash the plane.
(ANI)