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flydubai Flight 1073

An undated photo of Captain Smit Machchhar, captain of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that suffered a terrorist attack mid-air, with the copilot subdued after stabbing Machchhar in an alleged attempt to crash the plane full of Israelis, September 30, 2026. (Danny Danon via X)
Flydubai captain recalls struggle to open cockpit door during attempted terror attack
By AFP
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar says he kept thinking to himself, 'you can't die like this,' as he struggled to alert others that he was being attacked with an axe by his Omani copilot
Ethiopian Airlines planes are parked at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, February 11, 2019. (AP/Ben Curtis)
October 13, 2026, 3:56 am
Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight denied landing in Israel, forced to turn around, due to Indonesian pilot
Despite new regulations in the wake of flydubai attack, list of crew members aboard flight was reportedly only sent to Israel after takeoff from Addis Ababa
By Lazar Berman and ToI Staff
Samir 'Abu Hamza' Mohtadi appears on 'The Aydin Show' on YouTube, in an interview published April 14, 2020. (Screenshot)
October 12, 2026, 10:05 am
Melbourne Islamic preacher linked to flydubai terrorist condemns ‘false accusations’
Omani copilot Hamam al-Hammami, inspired by 9/11 in his quest to crash plane of Israelis, attended Samir ‘Abu Hamza’ Mohtadi’s community center, UAE prosecutor says
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 walk with their family members after they were saved from an alleged attempt to crash their plane, at Ben Gurion Airport, September 30, 2026. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
October 11, 2026, 11:51 am
Flydubai passengers said preparing huge class-action suit against airline, governments
Suit reportedly to seek hundreds of millions from Israel, UAE as some 100 of attacked plane’s 174 passengers sign on, led by bank exec Tzvika Manes who helped subdue attacker
By ToI Staff
Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, October 4, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 10, 2026, 9:58 am
Israeli airline said to have begun background checks on crews of leased foreign planes
Unnamed carrier reportedly hires tech company to screen social media of foreign crew on leased planes; airlines said unwilling to wait for decision by Transportation Ministry, Mossad, Shin Bet
By ToI Staff
(Left) Hamam al-Hammami, the copilot who tried to bring down a flydubai flight to Israel in a terror attack on September 30, 2026, seen in an undated image from his recently deleted LinkedIn profile; (right) al-Hammami seen after he was subdued and bound on the plane. (Channel 12 screenshot)
October 9, 2026, 11:06 pm
UAE confirms flydubai copilot was planning 9/11-style ‘suicide attack’ on Ben Gurion Airport
Attorney general says Hamam al-Hammami used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to ‘familiarize himself with route and airport,’ prepared by viewing pro-terror material and taking boxing lessons
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Screenshot from a video posted by an Egyptian pilot on Instagram on October 7, 2026 showing an EgyptAir plane pulling up next to an El Al jet. (X, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
October 8, 2026, 10:51 pm
EgyptAir pilot sparks fear after posting El Al plane video with threatening speech on Oct. 7
Video features audio of Egypt’s Sadat invoking ‘eye for an eye’ threat to Israel in 1973; pilot says it has no connection to last week’s flydubai attack; clip said filmed in Milan
By ToI Staff
News editor Ben Sales appears on the Daily Briefing with host Jessica Steinberg on October 8, 2026 (Flash 90)
October 8, 2026, 2:20 pm
Daily Briefing Oct. 8: Shared grief, deep divisions – Israel marks October 7
News editor Ben Sales discusses the ceremonies held on the third anniversary of the Hamas attack, democratic expectations for election day, and candidates’ reactions to the flydubai attack
By Jessica Steinberg and Ben Sales
A plane takes off as a flydubai aircraft sits on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 30, 2026. (AP)
October 8, 2026, 4:42 am
Dubai repatriation flights nixed after UAE pulls landing permit for Israeli carriers
Arkia, Israir and El Al flights canceled day before repatriation flights were set to be completed, affecting an estimated 1,000 Israelis in wake of attempted flydubai terror attack
By Sharon Wrobel
Travelers disembark an Electra plane at Ben Gurion International Airport. September 8, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 7, 2026, 4:25 pm
Israeli airlines often lease foreign planes and crew, while leaving extra security behind
Loophole means passengers who think they are flying with an Israeli carrier can end up on another company’s plane, with no special screenings of pilots or stringent procedures meant to avoid situation like the flydubai attack
By Sharon Wrobel
Passengers wait in line to check in their luggage with flydubai at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
October 7, 2026, 1:59 pm
Police said to probe 2 senior Transportation Ministry officials over flydubai failures
Dvir Rubinstein reportedly advised airlines, including flydubai, while also issuing their permits; Amir Cohen worked for Israeli carriers abroad, allegedly without approval
By ToI Staff and Nava Freiberg
Illustrative: Passengers at the Ben Gurion International airport near Tel Aviv, August 23, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 7, 2026, 4:04 am
Israelis could lose US visa waiver after flydubai attack revealed security lapses — report
US delegation said expected in Israel to review compliance with 2023 agreement; flydubai reportedly seeks OK to resume Israel flights, but Regev nixes idea; Transportation Ministry refused security help last year — report
By Stav Levaton, ToI Staff, Lazar Berman and Sharon Wrobel
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's Daily Briefing podcast. (ToI/Flash90)
October 6, 2026, 3:06 pm
Daily Briefing Oct. 6 – Echoes of Oct. 7 in the failures exposed by flydubai near-disaster
Editor David Horovitz on the unbelievable yet true saga of terrorism and heroism in the air, and a deep dive into the state of the nation’s spirit 3 years after the Hamas onslaught
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and David Horovitz
A flydubai plane takes off from Ben Gurion airport on September 30, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 6, 2026, 2:06 pm
Israel was prepared to shoot down flydubai jet during attempted terror attack — report
CBS says fighter jets were scrambled after cockpit went silent; passenger who handcuffed copilot terrorist says group who tackled him briefly considered whether they needed to kill him, fearing he still had a knife
By ToI Staff and Reuters
Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073, who survived an attempted terror attack, walk with their family members through the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, September 30, 2026, after returning home on another flydubai flight. (Flash90)
October 6, 2026, 6:37 am
‘Bibiwood’: Flydubai attack spawns stream of online conspiracy theories
After terror attack thwarted on plane full of Israelis, thousands of social media posts, viewed by millions, claim the incident was a so-called false flag, many asserting it was meant to engender global sympathy for Israel
By Ruth Eglash
An Arkia plane takes off at Ben Gurion Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, May 5, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
October 6, 2026, 5:22 am
Most Arkia and Israir flights use planes and crews leased from foreign airlines, in arrangement okayed by PM
‘Wet lease’ aircraft not subject to all of Israel’s stringent security protocols; Transportation Ministry sent security directives to foreign airlines day after flydubai attack, stressed that it is responsible for security of inbound flights
By Sharon Wrobel and Stav Levaton
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