Airline Flydubai has come into focus recently after a serious mid-air incident involving its Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, where Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by the co-pilot, triggering a dramatic emergency.
In the chaos of the attack, the flight descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters) in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk about an hour later, according to Flightradar24. Most of the plane’s rudder was ripped off the tail during the sudden drop.
The co-pilot suspected in the FlyDubai attack has been identified as an Omani national.
The UAE’s attorney general said he had planned a “terrorist act” and used the cockpit’s emergency axe to attack the captain, the official UAE news agency WAM reported Saturday.
The news agency quoted Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi as saying that according to the initial findings of an investigation, “the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist act” and had “attacked the captain in the cockpit with the emergency axe and tried to take control of the aircraft”.
Here, we take a closer look at the airline involved in the incident and examine its standing in the latest rankings.
Where does Flydubai, the airline that Smit Machchhar pilots for, rank?
Skytrax ranked Flydubai eighth among the best regional airlines in the Middle East. The airline has also received a three-star rating as a certified low-cost carrier.
However, globally, it holds the 80th spot in the World’s Top 100 Airlines 2026
The top names in the list are:
Singapore Airlines
Qatar Airways
Cathay Pacific Airways
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
Turkish Airlines
Here’s a look at the airline in which the altercation took place:
Airline is owned by the Emirati government
FlyDubai, the sister airline to Emirates, is a government-owned carrier run by the United Arab Emirates that operates a fleet of 98 Boeing 737 aircraft, according to its website. The airline flies to the Mideast, Africa, Europe and Asia, including the Indian subcontinent.
In November 2020, FlyDubai began offering commercial flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai, a rare route at a time when other airlines in the region stopped flying to Israel, a UAE ally.
The airline reported carrying 15.7 million passengers in 2025 and reached a total revenue of AED 13.6 billion ($3.7 billion).
PM Modi hails Captain Smit Machchhar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised Indian Captain Smit Machchhar’s bravery for foiling his co-pilot’s alleged attempt to crash a flydubai flight to Israel, saying his courageous act fills every Indian’s heart with pride.
“When the incident occurred, Captain Smit of India demonstrated remarkable patience, presence of mind, and courage; indeed, as the Prime Minister of Israel stated today, an Indian prevented a 9/11-style tragedy. For every citizen of our country, Smit’s valour fills us with immense pride,” PM Modi said earlier this week.
He said the whole world is feeling proud of him.
“I request all citizens to pray for Smit’s longlife, excellent health. And we also praise him for adding to India’s pride,” the prime minister said.