The pilots had been traveling on the flight because they were scheduled to operate the aircraft on its return journey.
By Shula Rosen
Two pilots traveling as passengers aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 have been named as Henson Steven of Fiji and South Africa’s Rowan Tooth, who brought the aircraft down safely in Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Capt. Smit Machchhar with an axe on September 30.
The Boeing 737 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with around 150 Israeli passengers when the alleged hijacking occurred in Saudi airspace.
During the incident, the aircraft dropped 16,000 feet in 30 seconds.
Steven and Tooth had been traveling on the flight because they were scheduled to operate the aircraft on its return journey.
After passengers subdued the alleged attacker, the two men assumed control of the plane and completed the emergency landing.
Steven is a former Fiji Airways pilot. Tooth previously flew for South African carrier Airlink, where he remained until 2023.
Last week, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented Steven, Tooth and other crew members with the First Class Order of Zayed II “in recognition of their courageous efforts to ensure the safety of passengers.”
Machchhar, who was left with life-threatening injuries, received the same honor, one of the UAE’s highest civilian awards.
He appeared before the president wearing a sling and with stitches in the back of his head and said he still faced another two months of recovery.
“I have an idea. When you heal, I want to have a session with you to train you how to fight,” the Emirati president told him, suggesting jiu-jitsu.
“It’s my biggest honor,” Machchhar replied.
UAE public prosecutors said the alleged plot drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The weapon involved was a crash axe normally stored in the cockpit for emergency purposes.
Speaking earlier this month from an Abu Dhabi hospital, Machchhar said the initial impact made him think something had gone “horribly wrong the aircraft structure” before he realized he was under attack.
Despite bleeding heavily, Machchhar opened the cockpit door, according to a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yaniv Hayun was among the passengers who incapacitated the attacker.
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