‘India Is Proud’: PM Modi Salutes Smit Machchhar, Indian Pilot Injured in flydubai Attack

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed Captain Smit Machchhar as a “hero”, saying the Indian flydubai pilot’s courage under attack helped avert a mid-air tragedy.

Machchhar was seriously injured during an alleged stabbing by his co-pilot aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Despite his wounds, he managed to unlock the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to intervene. Other pilots aboard subsequently landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.

“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,” Modi wrote on X.

“India is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health,” he added.

An Injured Captain Opens the Door

Israeli officials have alleged that the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar and attempted to crash the aircraft. The captain’s decision to unlock the cockpit allowed those aboard to reach the flight deck and overpower the alleged attacker.

Israel’s foreign ministry credited the combined actions of Machchhar, Israeli passengers and Emirati crew with saving 174 lives.

“Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door,” the ministry said, describing the rescue as an act of courage involving people of different nationalities.

Flydubai confirmed that “an altercation occurred in the flight deck”. In a statement reported by CBS News, the airline said crew travelling aboard secured the aircraft, diverted it and landed safely.

Passengers later continued to Tel Aviv on another aircraft.

Passenger Recalls Repeated Drops

Passenger Almog Italie described the fear aboard as the aircraft suddenly lost altitude during the confrontation.

“Suddenly the airplane dropped, massive turbulence for 20, 30 seconds, and then balanced, and then once again dropped for ten seconds, and balanced again,” he said in a video cited by CBS News.

Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, who helped subdue the alleged attacker, later met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and recounted pulling the man from the cockpit.

Netanyahu praised his intervention, while US President Donald Trump also singled out Machchhar’s actions after speaking with the Israeli leader.

“The pilot was in very bad shape. But in a way, he was a hero to open the door,” Trump said.

Tributes to Courage and Composure

Indian diplomatic missions joined the tributes to Machchhar, with the embassy in Israel praising his “remarkable courage, composure and devotion to duty”.

India’s ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said the captain and others aboard had helped turn a potential tragedy into a safe landing.

“In the skies above, courage held the line,” Kwatra wrote on X, wishing Machchhar a full recovery.

The Indian embassy in France also praised the captain’s resistance and his role in allowing passengers and crew to intervene.

Years of Experience in the Cockpit

Machchhar flies as a direct-entry captain with UAE-based flydubai. His reported professional record includes more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and approximately 9,750 flying hours, predominantly on Boeing 737 aircraft.

Before moving to flydubai, he spent 11 years at SpiceJet, where he served as a line training captain.

The circumstances and motive behind the attack remain under investigation. Flydubai will temporarily suspend flights to and from Israel while the inquiry proceeds, an airline spokesperson told CNN.

With inputs from ANI