Here's the latest
• Search for motive: Investigators across the Middle East are trying to find out why a pilot allegedly stabbed his captain and tried to seize control of a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight. The suspect has not publicly been identified, but Israel says he is an Omani national. The United Arab Emirates is investigating whether the violence was linked to “terrorist activity.”
• Disaster averted: An Indian pilot and passengers who thwarted the apparent hijacking have been hailed as heroes. The pilot — identified as Captain Smit Machchhar — “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN.
• Terrifying moments: Passengers rushed the cockpit as Machchhar’s colleague attacked him and the plane plummeted 17,400 feet in less than two minutes. The plane was later diverted to Saudi Arabia and passengers have since returned safely to Israel.
Plane landing was "nothing short of a miracle," CNN analyst says
The emergency landing of a Flydubai flight was “nothing short of a miracle,” CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas said, describing a series of actions by the crew and passengers that helped avert disaster.
“They had to get everything right to basically make sure everybody survived,” Plitsas told CNN. “And somehow they figured it out as laypersons with no real training.”
According to the analyst, several things stood out.
First was the Indian pilot’s ability to signal an emergency and unlock the cockpit door while being attacked, allowing passengers to enter as the aircraft descended. “The captain somehow had the wherewithal to turn on the transponder and transmit that there was an emergency,” he said.
Second were unarmed passengers who subdued the armed attacker before one pulled back on the yoke to level the aircraft, drawing on knowledge from an air-disaster documentary. Also, Plitsas said, the presence of an additional pilot who happened to be aboard.
“The amount of sheer luck and tenacity and courage from the folks on board is almost impossible to describe,” the analyst told CNN.
According to Plitsas, the episode raises questions about threats originating from within the cockpit. Many post-9/11 security measures focused on preventing outsiders from accessing the cockpit, he noted. A review of personnel records would likely follow, he said, adding that such threats can be difficult to detect.
Unclear yet how suspect escaped Israeli vetting process
A key question for Israel is how the suspect - an Omani national - was apparently able to clear any vetting process.
Oman and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations so the attacker, who is yet to be identified, should not have been allowed to fly the Israel-bound plane, an Israeli official told CNN.
A second Israeli security official told CNN that Israel’s internal security agency the Shin Bet is supposed to vet all airlines’ personnel flying into Israel from the UAE, as part of a side security understanding to the aviation agreements between the two countries.
The official says it is not known at this stage whether the Shin Bet failed to vet the alleged perpetrator, or whether it did vet him and approved him to fly the plane to Israel.
Everything we know about the reserve pilots who landed the plane
An Indian pilot and passengers who thwarted Wednesday’s suspected hijacking attempt of an Israel-bound Flydubai flight have been hailed as heroes.
But little is known about the other air crew who, with the pilot severely injured and his alleged attacker restrained, were forced to step in and land the diverted plane in Saudi Arabia.
The identities of the reserve pilots have not been shared, and CNN has reached out to Flydubai and the British Foreign Office for further clarity.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “another air crew that was on the plane entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the aircraft.”
Flydubai said the aircraft was “successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport.”
So, how common is it for reserve pilots to be on planes?
David Soucie, an aviation safety analyst for CNN, said it was fairly unusual for additional on-duty pilots to be on flights “unless they are being repositioned for other flights.” In that scenario, the pilots are often off-duty.
Meanwhile, aviation expert Alan Diehl, a former investigator for the US National Transportation Safety Board, said other members of flight crew, like attendants, can occasionally hold private pilot licenses.
Here's what we know about the attacker on the Flydubai flight
The pilot who allegedly attacked his captain before trying to seize control of Israel-bound Flydubai flight FZ107 has not been identified, nor do we know his motive or what weapon he used.
However, some details have emerged:
What we do know: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the alleged attacker is an Omani national.
He had only been working for Flydubai for eight months before allegedly carrying out the attack, an Israeli official told CNN.
He had been trying to “jam the instruments” of the plane when a hero passenger, later identified as plumber Yaniv Hayoun, burst into the cockpit, Netanyahu told CNN.
The Israeli prime minister said that Israel had not received any specific warning from intelligence agencies prior to the attack. “What we had is a lot of information streaming in that Iran’s proxies, in particular Hezbollah and Hamas, were planning attacks against Israel and Israeli civilians abroad. But I can’t tell you that we had any specific warning about this,” he said.
Netanyahu also said that the suspect used an axe - although this is yet to be confirmed.
An international investigation: Netanyahu continued that he assumed that the suspected attacker would soon be transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for questioning, with Israel involved in the investigation.
Oman and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, and it is not yet clear how the Omani pilot would have obtained clearance to fly to Israel. The suspected attacker has since been detained and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, Netanyahu said Wednesday.
But questions remain around how the incident unfolded and what motivated the pilot to instigate the bloody altercation.
Passengers arrived safely in Israel on a replacement Flydubai flight after Saudi Arabia rejected an Israeli request to send a military or civilian plane to bring passengers home. One passenger, Assaf Rajuan, said the person who attacked Machchhar was “neutralized” very quickly by a group of passengers and flight crew.
Rajuan said he and about five others helped subdue the attacker.
Read more about what happened on the Flydubai flight here.
Alleged attacker likely to be transferred to UAE for questioning: Catch up here
The alleged attacker on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv will likely be transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for questioning, Israel’s prime minister has said, as the injured Indian pilot who fought off the attack is said to be in a stable condition.
Here’s the latest:
- Omani national: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN the alleged attacker is an Omani national. He had only been working for Flydubai for eight months before allegedly carrying out the attack, an Israeli official told CNN. His identity has not been revealed.
- Weapon used?: Netanyahu said pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was “stabbed or hit with an axe” by the co-pilot, in an interview with CBS News. His words come as it remains unclear what exactly the weapon was that the co-pilot allegedly used to carry out the attack. Some reports have suggested that the alleged attacker may have used the aircraft’s own cockpit crash axe.
- UAE transfer: Netanyahu told CNN that he assumed that the suspected attacker would soon be transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for questioning, with Israel involved in the investigation. It comes as far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir has called for the suspect to be extradited to Israel to “pay the highest price here.”
- Possible motive: The UAE attorney general has opened an investigation into whether Wednesday’s violence was linked to “terrorist activity” and involved any “prior planning or direction,” state news agency WAM reported.
- ‘Out of danger:’ Injured pilot Machchhar, who fought off the attack, is said to be in a stable condition, according to a local politician in his hometown. Parag Shah, who represents Ghatkopar East, the eastern Mumbai suburb Machchhar is from, told CNN that the pilot was “out of danger.”
- Rescue flights: Israeli flag carrier El Al will operate special rescue flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv to bring home stranded Israeli nationals following the cancellation of flights to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. It comes after Flydubai temporarily suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv in the wake of yesterday’s mid-flight attack.
CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Eugenia Yosef, Mitchell McCluskey, Tal Shalev, Ivana Kottasová, Ayushi Shah and Jessie Yeung contributed reporting.
Far-right Israeli minister says alleged attacker should be extradited to Israel
Far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir has called for the suspect in Wednesday’s apparent hijacking attempt to be extradited to Israel to “pay the highest price here.”
“Our security doctrine must be clear: anyone who attempts to murder or harm Israelis — the State of Israel will pursue them and hold them accountable wherever they are in the world,” the minister added.
Despite Ben Gvir’s request for Israel to take the lead, several nations will likely be involved in the probe, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, where the plane was forced to land.
UAE authorities have jurisdiction to investigate the incident because the aircraft is registered in the country, and UAE law applies to crimes committed aboard its planes even when they occur outside the country’s territory, state news agency WAM reported Thursday.
The suspect was initially arrested and interrogated by Saudi authorities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday. He later added that he assumed the suspected attacker would be transferred to the UAE for questioning, with Israel involved in the investigation.
Indian politician says injured pilot who fought attacker is "out of danger," citing family
Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who fought off an attack by his copilot and helped prevent the apparent hijack of the Flydubai plane on Wednesday, is in stable condition, a local politician in his hometown said.
Parag Shah, who represents Ghatkopar East, the eastern Mumbai suburb Machchhar is from, told CNN that the pilot was “out of danger” after undergoing surgery at a hospital in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, citing family members.
Shah said that as far as he was aware, Machchhar’s family have not yet been able to speak to the pilot directly. However, he said Flydubai representatives are with him and taking care of him.
“He got operated yesterday, he is out of danger, and yes, he has become a world hero,” Shah told CNN.
Machchhar had suffered “massive blood loss” and was “severely wounded,” dentist Shota Musaev, a passenger on the flight who helped treat him, told CNN.
Shah told CNN Machchhar’s parents had left early on Thursday morning to fly to Dubai. He also said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to the parents.
Pilot was "stabbed or hit with an axe" by co-pilot, Netanyahu says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was “stabbed or hit with an axe” by the co-pilot who allegedly attacked him on the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
“As they approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot, and the pilot that was hit – bleeding profusely, fighting for his life – managed to unlock the pilot’s door,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS News.
His words come as it remains unclear what exactly the weapon was that the co-pilot used to carry out the attack. Some reports have suggested that the alleged attacker may have used the aircraft’s own cockpit crash axe.
Pilot accused of cockpit attack worked for Flydubai for only eight months, source says
The pilot accused of carrying out the attack in the cockpit of Wednesday’s Flydubai flight had worked for the airline for only eight months, an Israeli official told CNN. The official did not identify the pilot.
Israeli carrier El Al to deploy rescue flights to Dubai
Israeli flag carrier El Al will operate special rescue flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv to bring home stranded Israeli nationals following the cancellation of flights to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
It comes after Flydubai temporarily suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv after the apparent attempted hijacking of one of its planes yesterday.
The El Al rescue flights will be priced at $249 per ticket, according to the airline, and will be available to book on El Al’s website and through travel agencies once the necessary approvals are given.
The first such flight is expected to leave from Dubai on Friday.
The airline added it will “continue to do everything it can to increase its flight schedule and assist as many Israelis as possible in returning home safely.”
UAE investigates possible terrorist motive in Flydubai cockpit attack
The United Arab Emirates attorney general has opened an investigation into whether Wednesday’s violence aboard a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight was linked to “terrorist activity” and involved any “prior planning or direction,” state news agency WAM reported.
UAE authorities have jurisdiction to investigate the incident because the aircraft is registered in the country, and UAE law applies to crimes committed aboard its planes even when they occur outside the country’s territory, WAM said.
Flydubai has not yet named the pilots involved, though the Indian government publicly identified the pilot who thwarted the attempted attack as Captain Smit Machchhar.
The UAE attorney general also “stressed the importance of not prejudging the investigation’s outcome and relying solely on information and data issued by official sources.”
"We had to keep it calm" so plane could land safely, passenger says
One passenger on the Flydubai flight described the turbulence and panic on board before other civilians managed to subdue the alleged attacker in the cockpit – and how the cabin tried to stay calm so the plane could land safely.
Almog Italie, speaking to CNN from Israel, described the turbulence beginning about two hours into their flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. It was “like a roller coaster,” dropping down at high speed for 15 to 30 seconds before balancing again, repeated multiple times, he said.
Once it became clear that the attack had ended and the plane was back in control, most other passengers calmed down, “stayed in the seats, and this is what helped us to save our lives,” Italie said.
Italie described the wounded Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, as “our hero,” and praised his ability to fight back. The passengers who intervened were also “real heroes” who wasted “no time” jumping in, he said.
Israeli President to honor four Flydubai passengers who helped stop attempted hijacking
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke on Wednesday to four Israeli nationals who helped prevent the apparent attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ1073 – and said he would recommend them for Israel’s highest civilian award for heroism.
After the alarm was raised, the four – Yaniv Hayoun, Shota Musayev, Zvika Manes, and Asaf Rajuan – entered the cockpit and managed to subdue the attacker, according to a statement from the president’s office.
Hayoun took over the plane’s controls and stabilized the aircraft, while Musayev, a dentist, provided “lifesaving medical treatment” to Captain Smit Machchhar, who had been stabbed and is now being treated in hospital.
The president also thanked the wounded Indian pilot, who has been hailed as a hero for saving the lives of those onboard.
How did Flydubai passengers get inside the locked cockpit?
Questions are swirling about how passengers managed to access the cockpit and halt the apparent attempted hijacking of the Flydubai flight on Wednesday.
The alleged assailant, one of the pilots, stabbed his colleague in the cockpit as the plane plummeted – until passengers managed to subdue and restrain him, and stabilize the plane.
Israel has said that the wounded Captain Smit Machchhar unlocked the cockpit from the inside during the attack.
Josh McConkey, a US Air Force Reserve Colonel and emergency physician, said the aviation industry overhauled its security measures and protocols after the 9/11 attacks – including reinforcing the cockpit door to prevent potential hijackings.
“Unless someone is able to open that from the inside, you are not getting in,” said McConkey, who is also running for lieutenant governor of North Carolina.
After 9/11, US airlines were required to install permanent reinforcements to all existing cockpit doors, and include them in newly-built aircraft. Many airlines and manufacturers opted to use bulletproof material, composites, reinforced door jambs and locks. The International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency overseeing global aviation, has a similar code of standards followed by member nations.
Investigators probing the Flydubai incident will likely explore the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder first, said Marco Chan, a senior lecturer in aviation operations at London’s Kingston University. They will also interview the crew, the off-duty pilots and passengers, and determine, among other pressing questions, how the cockpit door was opened.
Israel's national airline working on evacuating people from Dubai after flights suspended
Israel’s national airline El Al said it is working on evacuating Israelis stranded in Dubai after Flydubai suspended flights to Tel Aviv following Wednesday’s stabbing and attempted hijacking.
There is no date set yet for the evacuation flights, an El Al spokesperson told CNN.
Flights between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) have increased in recent years. The signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and allowed commercial aviation services between the two countries to resume.
Flydubai typically operates 70 flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv weekly. It has been the sole carrier on the route in recent months after Israeli carriers suspended flights to Dubai due to the Iran war.
More than 1 million Israeli passengers traveled to Dubai in 2025, according to data from TLV airport.
Hero captain was a jovial flying student, says former tutor
Eighteen years before Captain Smit Machchhar was hailed for helping save a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, he was a teenager learning to fly at the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island.
Philip Kean, CEO of Mainland Air in Dunedin, remembers him from that first spell away from home in 2008.
Aged around 20 at the time, Machchhar was one of a group of young Indian flying students training in near Dunedin Airport and living at an old priests seminary in nearby Mosgiel.
“He got through in the required time, and obviously the rest of the story is history,” Kean said.
Machchhar later returned to India, joined an airline and, in time, became a captain.
The school’s care of the students, often abroad for the first time, went beyond the cockpit. “We take them into our custody and look after them in their accommodation,” Kean said. “Sort of part of the big family, extended family.”
Watching the news of Machchhar’s heroic actions from Dunedin, Kean said “It was an amazing feat,” and that he was “very proud” of his former student handled the situation.
Kean still has a group photograph from those days long before the world knew Machchhar’s name. “He definitely got a smile of his own… he’s sort of a happy, happy chap.”
Read more about Capt. Smit Machchhar here.
Flydubai stabbing adds to Gulf airline woes during an already tumultuous year
The Flydubai attempted hijacking adds to a year of crisis for Middle East airlines, which are already suffering from slowing ticket sales and rising fuel prices caused by war in the region.
The Gulf kingdoms have invested billions to build themselves into world class travel and transit hubs.
But travelers have become increasingly reluctant to transit through international hubs like Dubai, after the US-led war in Iran stranded thousands of passengers earlier this year. In August, air travel demand for Middle East carriers fell 14.6% year-over-year, compared to a 0.6% increase outside the region, the International Air Transport Association said.
The recent incident could further discourage regional travel and increase pressure to improve security measures among Middle Eastern airlines. Israel said it would ramp up security checks after one of the pilots appeared to attempt to crash the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
According to the IATA, the conflict in the Middle East is expected to halve profitability for airlines this year compared to 2025.
The industry is already grappling with rising operational expenses, higher fuel costs and a growing global shortage of aircraft personnel. Consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimated the shortfall of pilots would peak this year at about 24,000.
The World Economic Forum also warned that falling tourism in the Middle East would have broader economic implications, as an industry that accounted for about $11.6 trillion in global GDP last year and supported 357 million jobs.
Investigators will probe assailant's motives, mental health and more, says CNN analyst
As investigators probe the apparent attempted hijacking of a Flydubai plane, they will be looking to answer a number of key questions, said CNN’s senior national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem.
The alleged assailant’s motives are not yet clear, and authorities have not yet released his identity. But “any investigator would begin with the idea that this was a terrorist attack,” since it was a flight headed for Israel with many Israelis on board, she said.
There are other possible theories, too – and authorities will be investigating whether there were any mental health factors, potential radicalization, and whether he had any co-conspirators or was enabled by any particular country.
The incident also raised serious security questions, Kayyem said, such as how the assailant, a pilot, managed to get to this position without having been caught or detected before – since all pilots are continuously assessed, including their politics or risk of radicalization.
It was thanks to the quick thinking of the assailant’s colleague, who was attacked in the cockpit and is now being treated in hospital, that likely disaster was averted, Kayyem said. “I will say the pilot who was stabbed, his ability to think that he needed to open that (cockpit) door saved over 100 people’s lives today.”
Authorities probe motivation of pilot and how Flydubai attack unfolded. Here's the latest
Authorities are investigating how and why a pilot allegedly stabbed his colleague on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, sending the plane into a terrifying nosedive, causing panic onboard and forcing the flight to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
We’re learning more details about the horrifying and heroic scenes onboard after passengers and crew bravely rushed into the cockpit, thwarting the apparent hijack attempt, and landed the plane safely.
Here’s what we know:
- Pilot hailed a hero: Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who was stabbed mid-air, has been hailed as a hero by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told CNN Machchhar “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster.” Machchhar is in stable condition and being treated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia, according to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
- Questions remain about attacker: The pilot who allegedly attacked Machchhar has not been identified, but one Israeli official said he is an Omani national. The suspect has since been detained and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, Netanyahu said Wednesday.
- The investigation: Israeli officials have called the incident an “attempted terrorist attack,” but no motive has been confirmed. Netanyahu said Israel did not have any warning or intelligence about the incident. Flydubai flights to and from Israel are temporarily suspended. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar discussed the incident with his UAE counterpart and they agreed to cooperate against “extremist elements” threatening security.
Here’s what happened:
- Distress call: Flydubai flight FZ1074 left Dubai at 6:05 a.m. local time Wednesday. About two hours later, the aircraft began quickly losing altitude and turned sharply to the north. The flight issued a distress call at 8:31 a.m., minutes before it squawked code 7500 — the International Civil Aviation Organization code to signal an aircraft hijacking.
- Passengers scramble: After the cockpit door was thrust open, passengers raced to restrain the alleged attacker while others tended to a seriously wounded Machchhar. Passenger Adam Polo said it felt like he was riding “the craziest roller coaster” as the plane plunged 17,400 feet, while others on board said they thought they were going to die.
- Safely diverted: Netanyahu and Flydubai said reserve pilots in the passenger area managed to regain control of the aircraft and land it safely at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport, where it touched down at 9:54 a.m.
- Passengers reach Israel: The passengers then traveled on a substitute Flydubai plane to their final destination Tel Aviv, where they reunited with loved ones and received medical care.
Passengers describe terror of plummeting plane: "I was just sure I was going to die"
Passengers on board the Flydubai flight have described scenes of “complete chaos” and a “nightmare” as the plane plunged repeatedly, prompting some to say goodbye to their families.
Passenger Adam Polo, who was on the plane with his wife and two young children, recalled the terror of its sudden descent during the attack in the cockpit.
Polo described the descent as “the craziest roller coaster that you ever did, but multiplied by a thousand.” He recalled how people near the cockpit started shouting, “there is stabbing,” and that “everything was full of blood.”
Passenger Assaf Rajuan said that even after the attacker on the Flydubai flight to Israel was restrained, passengers remained terrified, not knowing who to trust and fearing a hostage situation.
Passengers didn’t even know if the person in control of the plane “was on our side, or who was on which side,” he added.
Flydubai passenger Mika Bauman described chaos aboard the flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia, as children cried and passengers screamed.
“I was just sure I was going to die,” she said. “You’re just sitting there and accepting your fate.”
CNN’s Erin Burnett, Dana Karni, Hira Humayun, Jeremy Diamond, and Zeena Saifi contributed reporting.
