On Wednesday, September 30th, during FlyDubai flight FZ1073 heading to Tel Aviv, Israel, Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by the co-pilot with a knife. Despite being seriously injured, the Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door and assist others in controlling the situation. He was hailed as a hero by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.
According to reports from multiple sources citing flight tracking data and eyewitnesses, on September 30th, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 passengers took off from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and about two and a half hours into the flight, a knife attack occurred in the cockpit. The plane subsequently issued an emergency code and diverted to the city of Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
On Wednesday night, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, stated that Captain Machchhar had been taken to a local hospital in Tabuk for treatment and his condition is stable. Embassy officials are in contact with his family and Saudi authorities.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Machchhar as a hero in a post on social media platform X on Thursday, October 1st. Modi’s post hailed Machchhar’s extraordinary courage and unwavering determination to protect the lives of others in the face of extreme danger.
Public information about Machchhar is limited, but according to his LinkedIn profile, he has been working at FlyDubai for about four years. Prior to joining the airline, he served for 11 years at the Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet, where he held positions as a senior captain and route training captain. His total flying hours are reported to exceed 9,750 hours.
Philip Kean, CEO of Mainland Air, a general aviation and flight training school in Dunedin, New Zealand, revealed to media outlet 1News that Machchhar underwent an 18-month pilot training program at the school starting from 2008 and performed exceptionally well. Following his training, Machchhar returned to India and served as a recruitment officer for the school.
“We are all very proud of him here and wish him a speedy recovery,” Kean said.
SpiceJet also posted on platform X, praising Machchhar for demonstrating heroism and selfless actions. The airline conveyed, “Captain, you are a hero to all of us.”
This incident has reverberated in Machchhar’s hometown of Ghatkopar, a suburb of Mumbai, India. Neighbors describe him as “easygoing” and commend his “courageous spirit.”
Following the airborne attack, Israel scrambled fighter jets as a precaution against hijacking incidents.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot from Oman involved in the incident has been arrested in Saudi Arabia and is undergoing interrogation, with the motive behind the attack still unclear.
In a post on platform X, Netanyahu praised Machchhar for displaying “extraordinary courage,” highlighting how the injured captain fought back after being stabbed, opened the cockpit door, and assisted passengers and crew in subduing the attacker, thus averting a potential aviation disaster.
“He saved the lives of 174 people on board, including Israeli citizens and individuals of other nationalities,” Netanyahu wrote.