Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for saving passengers after he was stabbed by his colleague in an alleged attempt to crash a Flydubai plane.
Machchhar trained in New Zealand for 18 months, the New Zealand Herald has reported.
Mainland Air chief executive Philip Kean told the Herald Machchhar was with the airline in Dunedin from 2008-2009, describing him as "a bit of a live wire" and an "above average" pilot.
"It's just horrific. The main thing is that he's still alive.
"It's a long way to drop. It's lucky it didn't fall apart, those pilots did a great job at recovering the plane."
He told the Herald the pair had kept in touch over email over the years.
Passengers on the flight reached Israel safely on Wednesday after customers and crew foiled the co-pilot's attempt to crash the aircraft, Israeli officials said.
A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft prepares for landing at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Lod on September 30, 2026 (file image).AFP / JACK GUEZ
The struggle began when he stabbed the pilot and sent the jet plunging nearly 14,000 feet (4267 metres) in less than 30 seconds.
Machchhar was covered with blood on the floor when he managed to click the release to open the cockpit door, a Netanyahu spokesperson told Reuters.
That allowed passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and enable a second pair of Flydubai pilots who were on board to land the jet in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
"He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals," Netanyahu said in a post on X.
Passengers from an earlier diverted flydubai flight are seen after landing at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.JACK GUEZ / AFP
"All passengers are out of harm's way," Netanyahu had earlier said in a video statement released by his office.
Indian authorities in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar is receiving necessary medical attention in a hospital in the northwestern city of Tabuk and they are in touch with his family and Saudi authorities to extend all possible help.
He is reported to be stable, the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a post on X.
Machchhar, who hails from India's financial capital Mumbai, underwent surgery after the incident, Indian newspaper the Hindustan Times reported.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Machchhar worked with India's SpiceJet airline for over 11 years before joining Flydubai.
The cause of the altercation between the pilots was not clear.
FlyDubai said in a statement that the underlying reasons for the event remained unknown and warned against "premature speculation." It also suspended flights to and from Israel amid an investigation.
Netanyahu described the event as "a highly severe security incident", and said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot of Flydubai FZ1073, which had been en route from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.
- Reuters, with RNZ
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