UAE Honours flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar for Thwarting Cockpit Attack That Diverted FZ1073 to Tabuk

On Tuesday, Captain Smit Machchhar and the crew of flydubai Flight FZ1073 were recognised by the UAE for what happened in the cockpit on September 30. UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan conferred the First-Class Order of Zayed II on the crew, and Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented it. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed also met the crew, with UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum present.

The flight had been operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv when a serious incident in the cockpit forced a diversion to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Machchhar was injured. Crew members, off-duty pilots and passengers helped bring the situation under control, and the aircraft landed safely. The source gives two counts for those aboard: 172 passengers and crew in one passage, and 180 occupants in another. Either way, all were reported safe, and the article says all disembarked without injury.

Machchhar described the attack in an earlier interview with The National, the UAE's state-owned newspaper. He said the co-pilot, the colleague he expected to be part of the team, struck him repeatedly. At the first blow, he thought something had gone badly wrong with the aircraft's structure and that part of it had fallen on his head. The impact nearly threw him onto the control column. As the blows kept coming, he realised the attacker was the other pilot.

His first move was to free himself from his seat belts and try to block the blows, which were landing on his head. His vision narrowed until he could see only outlines. His hand went to the knob that opens the cockpit door while he screamed for his colleagues. He believes that was when he first lost consciousness, falling face down in the cockpit.

The account says the co-pilot attacked him with an axe in an attempt to bring down the aircraft. The plane dropped 17,000 feet. Machchhar said the scariest thing he heard and felt was the engines spooling down. He did manage to unlatch the door, which let passengers and off-duty crew enter and restrain the co-pilot. A hijacking distress signal was also sent. The flight then made an emergency landing at Tabuk, with passengers reported to have helped in landing the aircraft.

While Machchhar was being treated, Sheikh Hamdan visited him and praised his courage, sense of responsibility and commitment to protecting human life. In a post on X, he called Machchhar someone who embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility and care for human life, and said the UAE was proud he was part of its team and of the story of the nation. At Tuesday's meeting, the leaders stressed that human safety and security remain the country's highest priority.

Machchhar told The National his love of flying had not changed. Asked whether it had died, he answered, "Not at all," adding that he was glad he had been able to do his part.

The recognition may not stop with the UAE. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced he will confer Israel's Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism on Machchhar. The article does not address the co-pilot's motive or any investigation, and those questions remain open.