UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited and praised flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar in the hospital for his extreme bravery during a dangerous mid-air attack.
Flight FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026 when co-pilot suddenly attacked Captain Machchhar inside the cockpit with a crash axe.
Despite severe wounds, Captain Machchhar unlocked and opened the cockpit door.
The flight was carrying 174 passengers when the attack took place, and passengers and crew members intervened to overpower the co-pilot.
Opening the door allowed passengers and crew members to rush in, stop the attacker, and secure the plane.
Sheikh Hamdan commended the captain for showing the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life. He commended the captain as a reflection of the UAE’s values of compassion, peace and humanity.
The UAE leadership stated they were proud to have him as part of the country’s team and national story.
Captain Machchhar is recovering from his injuries in the hospital.
Details about the incident
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has called the cockpit attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 a ‘terrorist attack’, saying the Omani co-pilot used the aircraft’s crash axe to attack Indian captain Smit Machchhar and then tried to take control of the plane.
According to the UAE Attorney General’s statement, the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with the cockpit’s crash axe before attempting to take control of the aircraft.
UAE’s senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash also described the incident as a ‘dangerous terrorist act’ in a post on X.
“The Indian pilot at “Flydubai,” Smit Mathur, deserves every bit of appreciation, for he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility in the face of a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster. His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest of circumstances make him a true hero,” Gargash wrote on X.
The co-pilot has now been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, by Al-Arabiya, a state-owned media outlet in Saudi Arabia. Three other people familiar with the investigation, including a Gulf diplomat and a Western diplomat, also confirmed his identity to international media .
The identification has brought fresh scrutiny to al-Hammami’s past. The AP report suggests that Oman had previously barred him from flying over concerns that he had adopted extremist views. He was later hired by flydubai, although it remains unclear how extensively he was vetted or what information about his earlier removal from flying duties was available to the airline.
