Flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel following a serious cockpit incident aboard its Dubai-Tel Aviv service in which the pilot was allegedly stabbed by the co-pilot in an attempt to crash the aircraft, forcing the Boeing 737 to divert to Saudi Arabia.The airline said the suspension would remain in place while an investigation into the September 30 incident involving flight FZ1073 continues.“Following the incident involving flight FZ1073 on 30 September, and in coordination with the relevant authorities, flydubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues,” a flydubai spokesperson said.The flight was operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the confrontation broke out between the two pilots inside the cockpit. As the situation escalated, passengers and crew members intervened, triggering an emergency response aboard the aircraft.The captain involved in the incident has been identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national who joined flydubai as a direct-entry Boeing 737 captain in June 2022.Machchhar had earlier spent around 11 years with SpiceJet in Mumbai, where he rose to senior commander and later became a line training captain in November 2020. In that role, he was involved in training and assessing pilots.His professional profile indicates around 9,750 hours on Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9 aircraft. More than 6,400 of those hours were recorded as pilot-in-command experience during his SpiceJet career.Machchhar is from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai and is based in Dubai. His LinkedIn profile lists a Bachelor of Business Administration from Welingkar Institute of Management but does not specify where he underwent flight training.His brother is also a commercial pilot with Akasa Air.The flight was diverted to Tabuk after the cockpit incident, bringing an otherwise routine Dubai-Tel Aviv service into the focus of aviation authorities. The airline has said its decision to halt flights to Israel will remain in force as the investigation into what happened inside the cockpit continues.”Our heartfelt prayers and deepest respect go out to Captain Smit Machchhar for his heroic courage aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073. Your heroism saved countless lives today. Captain Smit worked at SpiceJet for more than 10 years. His courage and selfless actions are a true embodiment of the values we hold dear at SpiceJet,” said the SpiceJet spokesperson.The airline further said that his SpiceJet family joins millions across the country and around the world in wishing him a complete and swift recovery. “You are a hero to us all, Captain,” the spokesperson added.