PM Narendra Modi praised Captain Smit Machchhar as a "hero" for his courage in saving 174 lives aboard a Flydubai flight despite being seriously injured. Machchhar fought off a knife attack by the co-pilot, opened the cockpit door and called for help, foiling an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft.
Passengers on the flight reached Israel safely on Wednesday after customers and crew foiled the co-pilot’s attempt to crash the aircraft, Israeli officials said.
Israel PM benjamin Netanyahu described the event as “a highly severe security incident” and said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot of flydubai FZ1073, which had been en route from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.
“Captain Smit Machchhar is a hero,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
“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,” the PM said.
“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,” the PM said.
“India is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health,” he added.
Captain Machchhar, an Indian national, has also been praised as a hero by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he fought off a knife attack from the co-pilot and managed to open the cockpit door and call for help, foiling an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft.
commercial flydubai flight travelling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, Israel, made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after transmitting emergency alerts shortly after takeoff. According to publicly available flight-tracking data, the aircraft first issued a 7700 squawk code, signalling a general emergency, before transmitting a 7500 code associated with a hijacking or unlawful interference.
Israeli officials suspect the incident may have involved an attempt to take control of the aircraft and crash it in an act of terrorism.
People who were aboard the plane and their relatives told Hebrew-language media that the co-pilot stabbed the captain in the cockpit, causing the aircraft to plunge about 17,000 feet in less than a minute.
A group of Israeli passengers reportedly entered the cockpit, subdued the attacker and helped stabilise the aircraft. The plane, carrying about 180 passengers, most of them Israeli, later landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, "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," Trump said while recounting his conversation with Netanyahu.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for saving passengers after he was stabbed by his colleague.
The struggle began when the co-pilot stabbed the pilot and sent the jet plunging nearly 14,000 feet (4,267 metres) in less than 30 seconds.
Machchhar was covered with blood on the floor when he managed to click the release to open the cockpit door, a spokesperson for Netanyahu told the news agency Reuters. This allowed passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and enabled a second pair of flydubai pilots who were on board to land the jet in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Indian authorities in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was receiving necessary medical attention at a hospital in the northwestern city of Tabuk and that they were in touch with his family and Saudi authorities to extend all possible help.
The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was reported to be stable in a post on X.
Machchhar, who hails from Mumbai, underwent surgery after the incident, the Hindustan Times reported.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Machchhar worked with India’s SpiceJet airline for more than 11 years before joining flydubai.
The cause of the incident between the pilots remained unclear. Flydubai said in a statement that the underlying reasons for the incident remained unknown and warned against “premature speculation”.
The airline also suspended flights to and from Israel amid an investigation.
In a post on X, EAM Dr S Jaishankar said Machchhar’s actions, despite facing grave danger, “saved hundreds of lives yesterday and averted a major tragedy”. He also urged people to join voices from across the world in saluting the pilot’s valour and praying for his speedy recovery.
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