Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, praised Indian pilot Sumeet Matchar after he sustained serious injuries during an incident in the cockpit of a flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, before it made an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot stabbed the captain during what they described as an attempt to bring down the aircraft, and that it lost about 14,000 feet, equivalent to 4,267 metres, of altitude in less than 30 seconds. The motive for the incident has not been officially determined, while the airline and Emirati authorities urged people not to prejudge the investigation’s findings.
Passengers and crew overpower co-pilot
A spokesman for Netanyahu said Matchar was lying on the cockpit floor covered in blood, but managed to activate the door-opening mechanism. This allowed passengers and crew members to enter and restrain the co-pilot, before two other flydubai pilots who were travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk.
Netanyahu said in a post that Matchar had shown exceptional courage by resisting despite his injuries and helping to open the cockpit, adding that he had helped save the lives of 174 people, including Israelis and travellers of other nationalities. Netanyahu had previously described the incident in a statement as an extremely serious security incident, confirming that all passengers were out of danger.
Modi, for his part, described the Indian pilot as a hero, saying he had faced extreme danger and, despite his serious injuries, shown great courage and an unwavering determination to protect the lives of others. He added that Matchar’s bravery had helped save hundreds of lives and avert a major tragedy.
Indian embassy confirms pilot’s condition is stable
The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said Matchar was receiving the necessary medical care at a hospital in Tabuk and that his condition was stable, noting that its officials were in contact with his family and the Saudi authorities to provide whatever assistance was possible. Indian media reports said the pilot, who is from Mumbai, underwent surgery after the incident.
According to his published professional profile, Matchar spent more than 11 years at India’s low-cost airline SpiceJet before joining flydubai, working as an airline captain and pilot instructor. His total flight time also exceeded 9,750 hours. The management of Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk said the air traffic control centre received a distress call from the flight at 8:44am local time requesting an emergency landing.
Aircraft lands and passengers continue their journey
An emergency was declared and the necessary preparations were made before the aircraft landed safely at 9:45am. The airport management added that the captain and co-pilot were injured and taken to hospital for treatment, while passengers received the necessary care inside the airport terminal.
All the travellers later departed for their final destination on a replacement aircraft that took off from Tabuk at 5:40pm on Wednesday. flydubai confirmed that an altercation had taken place in the cockpit of flight FZ1073, and that members of its crews who were travelling on board had secured the aircraft, diverted it and landed it safely in Tabuk.
It said all passengers and crew members had been accounted for and that it had arranged two replacement flights to complete the passengers’ journeys. The airline stressed that the reasons and motives behind the incident remained unknown and were subject to an official investigation, urging people to avoid early speculation. It also suspended its flights to and from Israel during the investigation, while continuing to operate the rest of its network according to its regular schedule.
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority classified what happened as a security incident that had been brought under control, and confirmed that its investigation teams were continuing to work with the relevant authorities to determine its causes and circumstances, including a review of operational and security aspects. Netanyahu said the co-pilot had been detained by the Saudi authorities and was being questioned by them.
