The Media Line: FlyDubai Pilots Who Landed Hijacked Flydubai Plane Identified, Honored by UAE President   

FlyDubai Pilots Who Landed Hijacked Flydubai Plane Identified, Honored by UAE President   

By The Media Line Staff  

Off-duty pilots Henson Steven and Rowan Tooth took control of FlyDubai Flight 1073 and landed safely in Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with an axe during a September 30 hijacking attempt.  

The Boeing 737, carrying around 150 Israeli passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was in Saudi airspace when the attack occurred. Israeli passengers subdued the attacker and bound him with headphone cables, while Steven and Tooth entered the cockpit.  

The two pilots stabilized the damaged aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk, where they completed a safe landing. Steven, from Fiji, formerly worked for Fiji Airways. Tooth, a South African, flew for Airlink until 2023 and is the son of former South African cricketer Barry Tooth, who died last year.  

According to the Times of Israel, Steven and Tooth were aboard Flight 1073 because they were scheduled to fly the aircraft on its return journey.  

Machchhar suffered life-threatening injuries but managed to open the cockpit door despite bleeding heavily, according to a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yaniv Hayun was among the passengers who incapacitated the attacker.  

The alleged attacker struck Machchhar with a crash axe normally stored in the cockpit for emergencies.  

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan last week awarded Machchhar, Steven, Tooth and other crew members the First Class Order of Zayed II “in recognition of their courageous efforts to ensure the safety of passengers.” The honor is one of the UAE’s highest civilian awards.  

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, also praised their actions on X.  

“Granting the Order of Zayed II to the Flydubai crew is a national recognition of the courage, heroism and composure they demonstrated while working to protect passengers’ lives,” he wrote. “This supreme act of heroism once again underscores that protecting human life is the highest duty and the greatest contribution.”  

UAE public prosecutors said the alleged plot was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.