Global leaders, diplomats to passengers: How Indian pilot Smit Machchhar became a hero for the world
Smit Machchhar was stabbed during the confrontation with the co-pilot on Wednesday while the Boeing 737 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
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Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of flydubai Flight FZ1073, has been hailed as a ‘hero’ by citizens and leaders across the world after he was seriously injured while allegedly trying to stop an attacker in the cockpit, forcing the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Track live updates
Machchhar was stabbed during the confrontation on Wednesday while the Boeing 737 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to Israeli officials and passenger accounts, the aircraft then went into a steep descent before passengers and crew intervened, subdued the alleged attacker and helped regain control of the aircraft. The plane eventually landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
PM Modi calls Captain Machchhar a ‘hero’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Machchhar for his actions despite being seriously injured. “Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO,” Modi said in a post on X, adding that the pilot had shown “immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others”.
Modi said Machchhar's valour had helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy, and wished him a speedy recovery.
The Indian Embassy in Israel also paid tribute to the pilot, describing his actions as a display of “remarkable courage, composure and devotion to duty”.
ALSO READ | ‘India is proud of Captain Machchhar’: PM Modi hails flydubai pilot, hopes for his speedy recovery
Netanyahu: ‘He is a true hero’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also singled out the Indian captain for praise. Netanyahu said Machchhar was stabbed and seriously injured but fought back, resisted the attacker and opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower him.
“My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery,” Netanyahu said, adding that the captain's actions helped prevent a catastrophic mid-air disaster.
Netanyahu said the incident had endangered 174 people on board and wished Machchhar a speedy recovery.
ALSO READ | Netanyahu hails Indian pilot Smit Machchar's heroics on flydubai plane: 'Extraordinary bravery'
Israel's foreign ministry separately described Machchhar as a hero, saying he managed to unlock the cockpit door despite being severely injured, enabling Israeli passengers and Emirati crew members to intervene. It said their combined actions saved 174 lives.
Trump also praises injured Indian pilot
US President Donald Trump joined the growing chorus of praise for Machchhar. Trump said he had spoken to Netanyahu about the incident and described the Indian captain as a hero after he opened the cockpit door despite being badly injured.
“The pilot was in very bad shape. But in a way, he was a hero to open the door,” Trump said while discussing the incident.
Trump also praised the passengers who intervened during the confrontation, including Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who has described rushing towards the cockpit and helping restrain the attacker.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also praised the passengers who intervened. “It's not a miracle... it's called heroism,” Bennett said, crediting the passengers who rushed into the cockpit and overpowered the alleged attacker.
Bennett said another crew subsequently took control of the aircraft and safely landed it in Saudi Arabia.
Indian, Saudi, Israeli diplomats on Captain Machchhar
India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said Machchhar and those who intervened had turned an “unthinkable tragedy into a safe landing”. “In the skies above, courage held the line,” Kwatra said in his tribute.
India's Embassy in Israel said it was closely following Machchhar's condition and extended its prayers for his recovery. Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, also praised Machchhar and the passengers and crew who intervened.
Azar said the courage of the Indian pilot, Israeli passengers and Emirati crew members had saved the lives of those aboard, describing the incident as an example of people of different nationalities acting together in an emergency.
The Indian embassy in Riyadh said Captain Smit Machchhar is reported to be in stable condition and receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The embassy said it, along with the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, was closely monitoring the condition of the flydubai pilot after Flight FZ1073 was diverted to Tabuk following the mid-air cockpit incident.
“A full update on his health is awaited but he is reported to be in stable condition,” the embassy said, adding that Indian officials were in touch with Machchhar’s family and Saudi authorities.
Passengers praise Captain Smit Machchhar
Passengers who survived the flydubai Flight FZ1073 incident have also spoken about the bravery of Captain Smit Machchhar and those who rushed to the cockpit during the struggle.
Flydubai passenger Adam Pollo said he would never forget the wounded Indian pilot and the passengers who fought back after the cockpit confrontation sent the aircraft into a sudden plunge.
“I will be always grateful for this act of bravery,” Pollo told Fox News, describing the pilot and passengers who intervened as “angels upon earth.”
Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who was among those who entered the cockpit and helped restrain the attacker, said Machchhar had managed to unlock the cockpit door before collapsing, allowing passengers to get inside.
Another passenger, Dr Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist travelling aboard the flight, rushed to the cockpit after hearing screams and found Machchhar badly injured.
“When I heard screaming, after 10 seconds I ran — I didn’t wait,” Musayev told The Times of Israel. “When I came into the cockpit, the pilot was in real bad shape, with heavy bleeding, particularly from his head.”
Musayev said he was the only doctor aboard and treated the wounded Indian captain.
“I was the only doctor on the plane, and eventually I managed to stop the bleeding and stabilize his blood pressure,” he said.
What happened aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073?
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on September 30 when the cockpit confrontation unfolded. The aircraft transmitted emergency signals before diverting towards Saudi Arabia. Reports said the plane experienced a dramatic loss of altitude during the confrontation, with Reuters reporting that it dropped nearly 14,000 feet in about 30 seconds.
Israeli officials said one pilot stabbed the other and allegedly attempted to take control of the aircraft. Passengers and crew then rushed towards the cockpit and helped subdue the attacker. Other pilots travelling aboard the aircraft subsequently took control and landed the plane safely in Tabuk.
Israeli fighter jets were reportedly scrambled as the aircraft sent emergency signals, amid fears that it could have been hijacked. The plane eventually landed safely in Tabuk, where the passengers were later transferred to another aircraft and returned to Israel.
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