'You have saved everyone, done something massive': PM Modi to flydubai's Indian pilot Smit Machchhar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Captain Smit Machchhar on Friday and praised the Indian pilot for his courage, presence of mind and composure during the flydubai flight emergency on September 30.

PM Modi connected with Machchhar through a video call and told him that his actions had saved everyone on board the flight. “If you hadn’t done what you did, who knows what people would have said about Indian pilots or how Indian pilots would have been seen. You have saved everyone. You have done something massive,” the prime minister said.

The virtual interaction came two days after Machchhar was being stabbed by his co-pilot during the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Captain Smit saved 174 lives

Capt Machchhar saved 174 lives on board a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.

The flydubai flight FZ1073, a B787 MAX 8 aircraft, plunged 14,300 ft in about 30 seconds over northern Saudi Arabia. It, however, landed safely at Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk after two flydubai pilots, flying as passengers, took control when Capt. Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door.

During the emotional conversation, Machchhar told Modi that he was his “biggest idol” and recalled how he recited the Hanuman Chalisa while facing the difficult situation aboard the flight.

Machchhar became emotional during the interaction and told Modi that it was a very special moment for him to speak with the Prime Minister. He said receiving the call had made him extremely proud and that he had never imagined he would get an opportunity to speak with him.

Recovery after co-pilot attack

Machchhar, who was seriously wounded during the attack on Wednesday, has since been shifted from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates for further treatment.

India's ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, visited him and his family at the hospital and said the pilot was “in good health and recovering well”.

Machchhar was the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv. While the aircraft was flying over Saudi Arabia, his Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed him inside the cockpit.

Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar is said to have managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and overpower the attacker. A plumber then allegedly took control of the aircraft as it was nose-diving, while other pilots on board subsequently diverted the flight to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview.