"Proud": PM Modi Praises Indian Pilot For Fighting Off Co-Pilot's Hijack Bid

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised "hero" Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for fighting off his co-pilot, who allegedly attempted to crash the Dubai-Tel Aviv flydubai aircraft, saying India is "proud of him". LIVE UPDATES

"Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO. In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar," PM Modi wrote in a post on X.

Also Read: Dentist, Off-Roster Pilots, Bravery: What Saved 180 Aboard flydubai Plane

PM Modi further prayed for Machchhar's "speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health".

Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO.

In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others.

His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy.

India is proud of…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 1, 2026

Machchhar, an Indian citizen, had been working with flydubai - a low-cost carrier owned by the Emirati government, for four years. He had worked for SpiceJet for 10 years before that. According to his LinkedIn profile, Captain Machchhar has over 13 years of commercial flying experience on the Boeing 737 fleet. He served as a line training captain extensively and has over 9,750 flying hours.

Captain Smit Machchhar

On Wednesday morning (IST), the co-pilot of a flydubai flight - which was carrying over 170 passengers - tried to sabotage the aircraft and later stabbed Machchhar, who was trying to prevent him from doing so. At the time, the Boeing 737, cruising at about 34,000 feet, began dropping at roughly 23,000 feet per minute before reaching about 15,600 feet.

However, Machchhar fought back the co-pilot, resisted him, and opened the cockpit door so passengers and crew members could overpower him.

According to accounts from those on board, passengers near the front helped move the attacker away from the cockpit.

Two other relief pilots who were seated at the back took over the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

Meanwhile, a dentist onboard reportedly gave life-saving care to the injured pilot.

Upon landing, both the pilot and co-pilot were taken to a hospital, and passengers were treated at the airport terminal.

Passengers from the flydubai flight after landing at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport
Photo Credit: AFP

Netanyahu, Trump's praise

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Machchhar for his "extraordinary behaviour" and called him a "true hero".

"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker - preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster. He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals," Netanyahu wrote in a post on X.

My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery.

Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air…

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 30, 2026

Trump, too, called Machchhar a "hero".

"The pilot was in very bad shape; I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero," the US President said.

Trump further called the co-pilot a "terrorist" and a "whack job".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)