On Oct. 1, 2026, Zvika Manes, a senior banker from Israel, helped restrain a co‑pilot who lunged at Indian captain Smit Machchhar with a knife aboard a flydubai aircraft bound for Tel Aviv.
Manes told NDTV that he and other business‑class passengers seized the attacker using cables from in‑flight headphones, while a reserve pilot and another passenger hauled him out of the cockpit.
Despite a serious stab wound, Machchhar managed to force open the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to intervene; he was later given oxygen and stabilised by a doctor.
Manes described the event as a '9‑11 style' terror attack, asserting that the co‑pilot had tried to bring the aircraft down with a knife.
Flydubai, which has faced scrutiny after a 2022 crash, is cooperating with Indian authorities; the airline has pledged full support to the investigation.
India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched a probe, and authorities have detained the attacker; a forensic team will examine the cockpit for evidence.