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| Day 2 Flydubai round-up: what we know so far |
| 2026-10-01 |
| Netanyahu: ‘Too early to say’ if Iran involved in flydubai attack, Israel ‘possibly’ joining investigation Flydubai announces suspension of Israel flights amid probe into attempted hijacking [IsraelTimes] Flydubai announces that all flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation into the attempt by one of its copilots to crash a plane full of Israelis is ongoing. “This temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident,” a flydubai spokesperson says. “We are fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and maintaining the highest safety standards across our network.” “We remain in close coordination with government authorities, regulators and airport stakeholders and will review the suspension as more information becomes available,” the spokesperson adds. Doctor aboard hijacked flydubai plane recalls treating badly wounded pilot [IsraelTimes] Israeli dentist Dr. Shota Musayev says he was one of the passengers who rushed to the cockpit when he realized that something was wrong on the plane. “When I heard screaming, after 10 seconds I ran — I didn’t wait,” Musayev tells The Times of Israel upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. “When I came into the cockpit, the pilot was in real bad shape, with heavy bleeding, particularly from his head.” “I was the only doctor on the plane, and eventually I managed to stop the bleeding and stabilize his blood pressure,” he says. Musayev, who was traveling back from China, says he provided emergency medical treatment to the badly wounded 39-year-old pilot, which he believes helped save his life. “These were very hard moments, but together with a few brave people on the plane, we managed to avert a situation that was very close to a disaster,” he recounts. “Now I just want to go home and hug my children.” Wounded flydubai pilot used ‘last moments of his energy’ to click open cockpit door so hijacker could be subdued [IsraelTimes] After being stabbed and seriously wounded by his Omani copilot, the Indian captain of the flydubai flight managed to click open the cockpit door in what allowed several Israelis to burst in and subdue the attacker, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reveals. Off-duty flydubai pilots who were sitting in passenger seats were then able to conduct a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu spokesman Doron Spielman says the wounded captain, Smit Machchhar, bloodied and lying on the floor, had drawn on “the last moments of his energy” to click open the release on the cockpit door. “At that moment, some of the passengers who realized something was happening raced forward, entered the pilot’s cabin. They saw the injured pilot on the ground, and the other… the attacking pilot was standing over the control panel, bashing the control panel,” he says. Omani pilot who tried to crash flydubai plane said to be a religious extremist [IsraelTimes] The Omani pilot who allegedly tried to crash a flydubai plane full of Israeli passengers earlier today is described by a fellow pilot as a religious extremist. The pilot tells Israel’s Channel 16 news that the Omani national joined flydubai just eight months ago. “He prayed excessively throughout the day and refused to shake hands with women,” the pilot tells the network. Israel to expand security checks on pilots after flydubai airplane attack [IsraelTimes] PM orders authorities to ‘ramp up security’ on flights operated by Israeli and non-Israeli carriers alike, as questions arise about UAE civil aviation regulator’s vetting process “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 Prime Minister’s Office, told Reuters. Two pilots working in the Middle East but not for flydubai told Reuters that pilots have to go through the same security screenings as passengers, meaning they would not be able to bring weapons such as knives or guns on board. “It’s always the airline’s responsibility,” said Eric Schouten, the head of aviation intelligence consultancy Dyami. “The airline has to do a proper vetting according to national guidelines on who is in the cockpit and every country does it differently.” The European Aviation Safety Agency told Reuters that flydubai’s certification and safety oversight rest with the GCAA. “This includes responsibility for ensuring that the operator meets the applicable requirements concerning its flight crews and their fitness to fly,” EASA said. Reuters couldn’t determine what weapon was used by the pilot to stab the other. Passengers on board the flight have reported that the copilot was holding a knife while the captain lay bloodied. A pilot flying in the region but not for flydubai told Reuters pilots might have access to metal knives from a meal service or a crash axe available in most cockpits. Spielman said Israel already had some of the toughest security checks — and these would only get tighter. Netanyahu described the event as “a highly severe security incident,” and said Saudi authorities would interrogate the copilot of flydubai FZ1073, which had been en route from the United Arab Emirates to Israel. “The attacking pilot is now being investigated Saudi Arabia. I think he’ll be taken to the Emirates where he comes from — or at least where he flew off from,” Netanyahu said during an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News. “We’ll be following and also possibly participating in this investigation.” Netanyahu said he did know “the exact background” of the copilot, “but he obviously hated Israelis.” “That is fanaticism and hatred of an incalculable level,” the premier said. According to Netanyahu, the attacker might have hit the captain with an axe. Airlines are generally required to carry crash axes in the cockpit for use in an emergency to break open a window to escape or break open a panel to access a fire. The copilot was earlier identified by an Israeli official as a national of Oman, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, though Channel 12 news reported that he was among dozens of Omani pilots for flydubai who have nevertheless flown to Israel in recent years. The network, which did not cite a source, said officials were looking into whether Israeli authorities had been aware of the Omani crew members flying into Israel. Asked by Fox if there was any indication of Iranian involvement in the attack, Netanyahu responded, “It’s too early to say.” Israel maintains unique air security arrangements, but flydubai incident shows vulnerabilities [IsraelTimes] With air marshals, screening and cockpit rules — not to mention the IAF — Israel has famously secure civil flights. Does that help when foreign airlines have different rules? Summarizing the even itself: Copilot subdued after stabbing pilot in alleged attempt to crash plane full of Israelis[IsraelTimes] Flydubai flight from UAE lands safely in Saudi Arabia with no non-crewmembers seriously hurt after Israeli passengers rush cockpit, subdue stabber; Israeli warplanes were scrambled Flydubai captain seriously wounded by his copilot identified as Indian national [IsraelTimes] The flydubai captain who was attacked by his copilot while flying a plane full of Israelis has been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar. Machchhar was stabbed by his copilot, who is said to be an Omani national. Machchhar lives in Dubai and has 13 years of experience as a pilot, including over four with flydubai, The Times of India reports. After being attacked by his copilot, who allegedly tried to hijack and crash the plane, Machchhar was treated by Dr. Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist on board.
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