The pair have kept in touch via email in past years.
Kean said he wrote to Machchhar this morning to wish him well in his recovery.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told the Herald its embassies in the region were responding to the incident.
“All passengers are reported safe and accounted for.
“We are aware of reports that a New Zealand citizen was among the 174 people on board, however, we do not yet have formal confirmation of that.
“The causes and motivations behind this incident are not yet known. It is important that the relevant authorities are given the space to establish the facts and avoid speculation until the investigation is complete.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed this morning that the plane was forced to make an emergency landing after one of the pilots tried to crash it and kill all onboard.
In a video, Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed another pilot.
The Aviation Herald said passengers reported that a fight broke out in the cockpit, with one pilot stabbing the other with a knife.
Cabin crew, off-duty pilots and passengers managed to get through the cockpit door and overcome the knifeman, who was pinned against the floor, the website reported.
The airline said another “on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight … diverted and landed the aircraft safely”.
Passenger Almog Itali said in a video posted by the BBC that two relief pilots were on board, who were meant to fly the next flight.
“The relief pilots are European, one of them British, who entered [the cockpit] and pulled the aircraft up, pulled the yoke, stabilised the plane and landed us in Saudi Arabia,” Itali said in the clip.
The plane, with 174 passengers onboard, landed in Saudi Arabia.
The Jerusalem Post reported that a passenger claimed Israeli citizens “rushed to the cockpit and fought the attacker” while the plane was plummeting.
They claimed two other pilots seated at the back “initially appeared shocked”.
“I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane,” the passenger told the Jerusalem News.
According to the passenger, one of the passengers took control of the aircraft, while the other “took longer to recover from the shock”.
An Emirati pilot was stabbed trying to save a plane.
Israeli passengers fought back.
A South African and a New Zealander landed it safely in Saudi Arabia, where the passengers have been looked after.
That, my friends, is the United Nations. The real one, not the one giving…
— Howard Feldman (@HowardFeldman) September 30, 2026
Netanyahu said the pilot who allegedly stabbed his colleague was being interrogated by Saudi authorities.
The New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association has been approached for comment.
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