UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday, October 27, awarded the crew of flydubai flight FZ1073 the Order of Zayed II, First Class, in recognition of their courage in foiling an attempted hijacking and attack on the captain the previous month. The Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight was disrupted on September 30 when the co-pilot attacked the captain. The assailant was restrained after crew members and several passengers intervened, and the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

According to the UAE’s official news agency, WAM, Sheikh Mohamed received the crew members in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. At a ceremony attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, presented the honours to the crew. The UAE leaders praised the crew’s professionalism and stressed that protecting human life and safety remains one of the country’s highest priorities.

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Among the recipients was Smith Machhar, the Indian captain who suffered severe head injuries during the attack. After receiving initial treatment in Tabuk, he was transferred to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where the Crown Prince of Dubai visited him on October 3. Images released from Tuesday’s meeting showed the UAE President placing a hand on Captain Machhar’s shoulder. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, praised the vigilance of the flydubai crew, describing the protection of human life as one of the highest responsibilities and most valuable forms of service.

During the incident, 29-year-old Omani co-pilot Hammam Al Hammami attacked the captain mid-flight with the cockpit’s emergency axe in an attempt to seize control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. According to The National, the aircraft descended by about 17,000 feet in less than a minute during the struggle. Despite his serious injuries, Captain Machhar managed to open the cockpit door. A flydubai pilot who was on board to operate the return flight then entered the cockpit using an access code and, with the help of a cabin crew member and several passengers, restrained the attacker. The pilot and his accompanying co-pilot then took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk. Flydubai said a total of 172 passengers and crew were on board.

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Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, the UAE Attorney-General, who had previously described the incident as an attempted “terrorist act”, said on October 9 that the accused had pursued a career as a pilot as part of a premeditated plot inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks. Investigators found that he intended to deliberately crash the aircraft into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv in a suicide attack aimed at causing “the highest possible number of casualties”. Although the accused confessed to acting alone, the judicial investigation remains ongoing to examine all aspects of the case and any potential links.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier hailed Captain Machhar as a “hero”. Israeli President Isaac Herzog awarded civilian medals of bravery to six Israeli passengers on the flight and said the Indian captain would receive the same honour after his recovery. On the day of the incident, passengers on flight FZ1073 travelled from Tabuk to Israel aboard a replacement flydubai aircraft. The airline, which had operated up to 10 daily flights to Tel Aviv before the incident, subsequently suspended all flights to and from Israel until further notice, in coordination with the relevant authorities.