Israel PM hails Indian pilot and Israeli plumber for averting flydubai disaster

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday hailed an Indian pilot and an Israeli plumber for averting a disaster on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

A fight broke out in the cockpit, and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with 174 people on board.

What happened on the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv?

Passengers said the co-pilot attacked the pilot, and a fight broke out in the cockpit. The aircraft plunged about 17,000 feet in a minute, according to Flightradar24.

Passengers rushed in and overpowered the attacker, and the plane then landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Who is the Indian pilot Netanyahu and Modi praised?

Indian officials identified the pilot as Smit Machchhar. He was wounded in the struggle and was being treated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia, India's embassy said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar a "HERO" in a social media post on Thursday. Modi said the pilot's actions had helped save hundreds of lives.

What did Netanyahu say about the Israeli plumber?

Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News, also praised an Israeli passenger he identified as Yanik, a plumber. He said the passenger helped overpower the attacker and regain control of the aircraft.

"An amazing act of heroism -- of his, of the Indian pilot, of the people who helped them. They stopped a disaster that could have been global," Netanyahu said. He said the passenger entered the cockpit, grabbed the attacker from behind and helped the wounded pilot regain control while other passengers subdued the co-pilot.

Netanyahu said the motive remained unclear and it was too early to determine who was behind the incident.

How did Israel, the UAE and the US respond?

Israeli officials described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. Defense Minister Israel Katz called it an "attempted jihadist terror attack". The director general of Israel's foreign ministry said it targeted Israelis, the United Arab Emirates and the Abraham Accords, the 2020 deal that normalized ties between Israel and the UAE.

The UAE and Israel agreed to cooperate against what Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described as extremist elements seeking to undermine security and stability, the foreign ministry said. U.S. President Donald Trump, after speaking with Netanyahu, said it appeared the co-pilot "was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job". He gave no further details.

What did passengers say about the incident?

Passengers said the aircraft suddenly began losing altitude as it flew over Jordan. Panic followed before people moved towards the cockpit.

Miryam Shira Ohayon said the plane was "pretty much out of control" and that passengers eventually took control of the situation. "The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane," she told reporters at Ben Gurion Airport.

Almog Italie said the incident initially felt like severe turbulence before fighting broke out near the cockpit. "The other passengers from the front took over control," he told AFP by video call from Saudi Arabia. Passenger Chaim Nazarovitz described the ordeal as terrifying, saying he briefly felt he was "not among the living".

What happened after the emergency landing?

The flight carried 174 passengers, including 166 Israelis according to Israeli media. It was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, and another flydubai aircraft later brought the passengers to Tel Aviv. Footage released by Netanyahu's office showed him meeting passengers at Ben Gurion Airport, including a man wearing a bloodied shirt.

Flydubai said all passengers were safe and that the reasons for the altercation were unknown. It said another flydubai crew member travelling on the flight diverted and landed the aircraft safely. The airline said it was suspending flights to Israel while an investigation was under way.

Israeli media reported that the military scrambled fighter jets after concerns emerged that the aircraft might have been hijacked. The incident comes amid heightened regional tensions following the war that erupted in late February with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel's elections are scheduled for the end of October.