Flydubai Captain Describes Cockpit Attack in Call With Indian Prime Minister

The captain of a Flydubai flight that descended 17,000 feet after an in-cockpit attack recounted his experience to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revealing that he made a deliberate decision to unlock the cockpit door while being beaten by his co-pilot. The first officer attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a blade during a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on Wednesday, prompting an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia and scrambling of Israeli fighter jets before passengers and crew subdued the attacker. The motive for the co-pilot's attack remains unknown, and he is currently in Emirati custody while the captain recovers in a hospital.

Captain Machchhar's deliberate choice to unlock the cockpit door while under attack proved decisive in preventing further escalation of the incident. Two passengers who were licensed pilots assumed control of the aircraft and successfully navigated it to an emergency landing at a Saudi military facility near the Israeli border. The quick intervention by nearby passengers and crew members prevented the assailant from maintaining control of the aircraft.

The co-pilot's motivation for the attack remains undetermined, though Israeli officials have suggested it may have been a suicide attempt. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are holding the attacker in custody while conducting their investigation. Indian Prime Minister Modi's public acknowledgment and call to the captain underscores the diplomatic dimensions of the incident involving citizens and aircraft from multiple nations.