Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Indian pilot Smit Machchar for exceptional bravery after he was stabbed by his Omani co-pilot on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Despite severe injuries, Captain Machchar opened the locked cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker and prevent a mid-air disaster involving 174 people on board.
Two off-duty flydubai pilots took control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, while flydubai suspended Tel Aviv flights for six days.