Name and Photo of Stabbed Flydubai Pilot Released by Israel
- Indian pilot Capt Smit Machchhar was stabbed mid-flight by a fellow pilot aboard a Flydubai plane headed to Tel Aviv before it was diverted to Saudi Arabia
- Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu credited Capt Machchhar with saving 174 lives, while Indian PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump also spoke about his courage
- Capt Machchhar, who had over 9,750 hours of flying experience, was hospitalised in Tabuk City and remained in a stable condition according to the Indian embassy
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The Indian pilot stabbed aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv on Wednesday has been identified as Capt Smit Machchhar, a Mumbai-born aviator with more than 9,750 hours of flying experience who is now being praised as a hero by world leaders.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport at 03:05 GMT carrying at least 150 passengers, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying "almost all" of them were Israeli nationals.
Source: Getty Images
According to BBC, about two and a half hours into the flight, tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft dropping more than 17,000ft in under two minutes before broadcasting an emergency squawk code, followed by a hijacking signal.
Netanyahu later confirmed that one pilot had stabbed the other before "apparently trying to crash" the plane. An Israeli passenger told him the aircraft "went into a spin and began to descend" before that passenger and a crew member broke into the cockpit and subdued the attacker.
The plane was diverted to Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia and landed at 06:58.
Capt Machchhar, the pilot who was stabbed, was taken to a hospital in Tabuk City, where the Indian embassy in Riyadh confirmed he remained in a stable condition.
World leaders praise the Mumbai-Born pilot
Netanyahu wrote on X that Capt Machchhar "saved the lives of 174 people" and prevented "a catastrophic mid-air disaster." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the pilot "showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others" despite being seriously injured, adding that "his valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy."
Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar praised his "extraordinary courage and remarkable presence of mind, even in the face of grave danger."
Speaking to reporters at the White House, US President Donald Trump said the pilot "was in very bad shape" but had the presence of mind to open the cockpit door during the attack. "Amazing, in a way he was a hero, to open the door. He was able to fall back and get the door open," Trump said.
Who is Capt Smit Machchhar?
Capt Machchhar grew up in Mumbai, where his parents still live. He joined Indian airline SpiceJet in 2011 before relocating to Dubai and joining Flydubai in 2022. His LinkedIn profile lists more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command. His former employer SpiceJet described him as a "hero" who had saved "countless lives."
In a podcast called Bona-Fide Banter, Capt Machchhar once said flying was "never a childhood dream" but that attending an aviation seminar around age 19 changed his path entirely. He credited senior pilots with teaching him how to handle stressful situations and advised younger aviators to "give personal life equal importance — it will help you fly longer."
Indian social media has been flooded with tributes since his identity became public, with clips from that podcast circulating widely online.
Source: Twitter
Flydubia suspends flight to Israel after copilot stabs pilot
Legit.ng earlier reported that Flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel following an incident on board flight FZ 1073 on September 30, in which a copilot allegedly stabbed the pilot midair and attempted to bring the aircraft down.
Source: Legit.ng
