Captain Smit Machchhar was wounded as the aircraft descended sharply, leaving nearly 180 people facing a terrifying emergency. The flight eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after passengers and crew intervened.

According to a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Machchhar managed to release the cockpit door despite his injuries. That action allowed passengers and crew to enter and overpower the co-pilot, the spokesperson told Reuters. Additional flydubai pilots travelling aboard then helped bring the aircraft safely to the ground.

The captain’s reported actions provided an opportunity for others to step forward when every second mattered.

Passengers have described scenes of fear, blood and a frantic struggle inside the aircraft. Their accounts underline the collective effort involved: a wounded captain, passengers confronting the alleged attacker and fellow aviators taking responsibility for the aircraft.

Netanyahu and PM Modi publicly praised Machchhar’s bravery. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said the captain was hospitalised and in a stable condition, according to Associated Press.

Flydubai confirmed that an incident occurred aboard the flight and that crew secured the aircraft before its safe landing. The airline said all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for, while stressing that the reasons and motives remained subject to a formal investigation.

Israeli officials have raised the possibility of terrorism, but investigators have yet to conclusively establish the motive. Claims about who directed the alleged attack should therefore be treated with caution.

As authorities work to establish the full sequence of events, Machchhar’s reported courage and the intervention of passengers and crew stand at the centre of this extraordinary survival story.

A flight that began with an ordinary departure ended with a safe landing, thanks to people who acted under unimaginable pressure.