Representative image. Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
_-_60962_-_VGHS.jpg){kind=link}
Why it matters
The captain at the centre of the FZ1073 case is Indian, and the UAE has now given him and his crew a state order that Khaleej Times says usually goes to diplomats and senior officials. The criminal case against the co-pilot, which UAE prosecutors call an attempted terrorist act, is still under investigation.
Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who was attacked in the cockpit of a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv last month, has been given one of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) top state honours along with members of his crew. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan conferred the First Class Order of Zayed II (the second-ranking Order of Zayed) on them, and Dubai’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, handed over the medals, the Dubai Media Office said in a statement on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, according to PTI.
The award comes 27 days after the incident on flight FZ1073 (flydubai’s flight number for the route) on 30 September, which UAE prosecutors have since described as an attempted terrorist act by the co-pilot.
What the UAE said when it honoured Smit Machchhar and the crew
The Dubai Media Office statement, as carried by the Press Trust of India (PTI), said the honour recognised the crew’s courage in keeping passengers safe during the attempted mid-air attack. Sheikh Hamdan praised the crew for their actions and sense of responsibility, the statement said, and the crew thanked the President and said they were proud to receive it.
PTI’s report named two other members of the ruling family at the ceremony: Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who heads the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairs the Emirates group. Khaleej Times reported that the Emirates News Agency (WAM) shared a short video of the ceremony, and quoted Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, describing the award as recognition of the crew’s courage.
Captain Machchhar is the only crew member named in the reports read for this article. Neither PTI nor Khaleej Times said how many crew members received the medal.
What the First Class Order of Zayed II is
The Order of Zayed II is a UAE state decoration named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country’s founding President. Khaleej Times said it is generally given to foreign ambassadors, diplomats, senior officials and international figures. PTI’s report described it as a high-level civil decoration conferred by the President for distinguished service, courage or contributions to the UAE’s relations with other countries.
The Indian captain has flown for 17 years and has been a captain for 11 of them, The National reported in early October.
What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073
FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv on the morning of 30 September. The UAE Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on 3 October that investigators had established that the co-pilot attacked the captain in the cockpit with a crash axe, the emergency tool carried on the flight deck, and tried to take over the flight controls. The co-pilot has been identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national, PTI reported. He has not been convicted of any offence, and the case is still under investigation.
On the evening of the attack, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority called it a security incident that had been brought under control, said some crew had been injured and treated in Saudi Arabia, and asked the public not to share unofficial information, according to the Khaleej Times timeline.
The Boeing 737 dropped about 14,000 feet during the struggle, The National reported. Injured, Captain Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door. That let a reserve pilot travelling on board and a small group of passengers overpower the co-pilot, The National reported. A second pair of flydubai pilots who were on the flight then landed the jet at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia, according to PTI.
Reports give slightly different counts of the people on board. The Saudi Interior Ministry put it at 174 passengers and eight crew, according to Khaleej Times; The National said 172 passengers and crew; PTI said more than 170. flydubai said all passengers were safe. The captain was treated in hospital in Tabuk and later moved to Abu Dhabi.
On 9 October, UAE prosecutors alleged that the 29-year-old co-pilot had planned to hijack the plane and crash it into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, Khaleej Times reported. These are allegations by the prosecution and have not been tested in court.
From cockpit attack to state honour: the timeline
NewsPlainly put these dates together from the Khaleej Times timeline of the flight, The National and PTI. Times are UAE time, which is 1 hour 30 minutes behind IST.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 30 Sept, 9.21 am | Flight tracking shows FZ1073 begin a steep descent from about 34,000 feet |
| 30 Sept, 9.44 am | Saudi air traffic control receives a distress call |
| 30 Sept, 10.45 am | The aircraft lands at Tabuk |
| 30 Sept, evening | flydubai confirms an altercation in the flight deck and suspends flights to and from Israel; Emirates suspends its Tel Aviv codeshare with flydubai |
| 1 Oct | The UAE Attorney General sets up a team to examine any terrorist link or prior planning |
| 2 Oct | The captain speaks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from hospital in Abu Dhabi |
| 3 Oct | The Attorney General says the co-pilot attempted a terrorist act |
| 9 Oct | Prosecutors allege a plan to crash the jet into Ben Gurion Airport’s terminal |
| 27 Oct | The President confers the First Class Order of Zayed II on the captain and crew |
What is still open in the flydubai case
The investigation is not finished. When the Attorney General spoke on 3 October, he said investigators were still working on the co-pilot’s motive, any links and the technical evidence, The National reported. The reports read for this article do not give a date for charges or a trial.
flydubai’s chief executive, Ghaith Al Ghaith, thanked the crew and the passengers who helped and said Tel Aviv flights would stay suspended at the authorities’ request, Khaleej Times reported on 2 October. The honour reports read for this article did not say whether those flights have resumed.
In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him while he was in hospital in Abu Dhabi, The National and Khaleej Times reported.
Frequently asked questions
What award did Smit Machchhar get from the UAE?
The First Class Order of Zayed II, conferred by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and presented by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, according to a Dubai Media Office statement of 27 October 2026 carried by PTI.
What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073?
On 30 September 2026 the co-pilot attacked Captain Machchhar in the cockpit with a crash axe and tried to take the controls, the UAE Attorney General said. The captain opened the cockpit door, a reserve pilot and passengers overpowered the co-pilot, and the jet landed at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
How many people were on the flydubai flight?
Counts differ: the Saudi Interior Ministry said 174 passengers and eight crew, according to Khaleej Times, while The National said 172 passengers and crew. flydubai said all passengers were safe.