Off-duty SA pilot helps foil alleged cockpit attack on Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv

An off-duty South African pilot travelling as a relief crew member helped prevent a possible catastrophe after a co‑pilot allegedly attacked the captain on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, officials and reports say.

What happened on flight FZ1073

The incident unfolded aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to reports, the co‑pilot allegedly launched an attack on the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, inside the cockpit.

During the struggle the aircraft experienced a dramatic loss of altitude of about 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) before it was brought back under control by passengers, cabin crew and other pilots on board, including the South African off‑duty pilot and a New Zealand colleague travelling as relief pilots.

Emergency landing and arrests

The flight was diverted and made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia. All passengers survived the incident.

Saudi authorities arrested the co‑pilot and handed him over to the United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation.

Official descriptions and airline response

UAE investigators have described the incident as a planned

“terrorist act”

and are probing the suspect’s motives and any possible links to extremist activity.

Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while it investigates the attack by the co‑pilot.

Praise for crew and passengers

Officials and passengers have widely credited the actions of the wounded captain, the intervening passengers and the off‑duty pilots with preventing a major tragedy by keeping the aircraft airborne and ensuring a safe landing.

Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed visited the captain in hospital and praised him as part of

“our team”

, commending his courage and sense of responsibility and saying his actions helped save more than 150 lives.