Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday hailed Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar as a hero, saying he fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit of a flydubai flight and helped prevent a catastrophic mid-air disaster.
Posting on X, Netanyahu said: "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery."
He said the captain, despite serious injuries, resisted the attacker and opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the assailant. Netanyahu said 174 people were saved, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.
"He is a true hero," he added, wishing the pilot a speedy and full recovery.
The incident occurred on Wednesday aboard flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Flydubai confirmed that an "altercation occurred in the flight deck" but has not disclosed a motive or identified anyone involved.
Israeli officials, quoted by Reuters, said the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain and tried to crash the aircraft.
Passengers described the plane plunging thousands of feet before it was brought under control. Netanyahu said the flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia, where, according to him, authorities arrested the suspected attacker. Passengers later reached Israel on a replacement flydubai flight.
Passenger accounts have added detail. Yaniv Hayoun told Reuters he and other passengers entered the cockpit, restrained the attacker and dragged him out, before taking hold of the controls.
Another passenger told CNN that two off-duty British pilots helped stabilise and land the aircraft. A dentist on board said he gave medical aid to the injured captain. No passenger injuries have been reported.
Israel's Foreign Ministry also praised the captain, crediting an Indian, Israeli passengers and Emirati crew with acting together. "Different nationalities. One extraordinary act of courage," it said on X, calling him a hero.
India's mission in Israel joined the tributes, saluting Machchhar's courage, composure and devotion to duty, and conveying its prayers for his recovery.
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The episode raises fresh questions over cockpit security. Post-2001 reinforced doors are meant to keep threats out, but the case involves an alleged attack from inside the flight deck.
Investigators have not publicly established why the incident took place. Flydubai has said the motive remains unknown, and several accounts so far come from Israeli officials and passengers rather than from aviation regulators.
Authorities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are yet to issue detailed findings.
Machchhar's current condition has not been officially disclosed.
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