Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised an Indian Flydubai pilot as a “true hero” after he was stabbed by his co-pilot during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, an incident that forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Captain Smit Machchhar was reportedly seriously wounded during the incident but managed to resist the attacker and open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to overpower the co-pilot.
The Boeing 737 Max 8, carrying 174 people, landed safely in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flight-tracking data showed that the aircraft dropped from about 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within roughly one minute.
Netanyahu said the co-pilot apparently intended to bring the aircraft down as it approached Israel, although authorities have not established a motive.
Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while investigations into the incident continue. Israel also announced plans to conduct security checks on the identities of pilots operating flights into the country.
Several passengers described scenes of panic during the incident. Passenger Yaniv Hayun said he entered the cockpit and pulled back on the controls after seeing the aircraft descend sharply. Other passengers helped restrain the attacker.
The Israeli government later released footage of Netanyahu meeting Hayun at Ben Gurion Airport.
Captain Machchhar was taken to a hospital in Tabuk. India’s Embassy in Riyadh said he was receiving medical treatment and was reported to be in stable condition.
All passengers were later flown from Tabuk to Tel Aviv on a rescue flight operated by Flydubai.
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