The Indian pilot who was stabbed in the cockpit of a Flydubai flight carrying more than 170 people is being hailed as a hero, as officials say his actions saved the lives of those on board.
Captain Smit Machchhar is in a hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after authorities say he was attacked by his co-pilot on Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The plane descended sharply, losing half its altitude in less than two minutes, before other crew members took control of the Boeing 737 Max and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Machchhar as a “true hero.”
“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker,” Netanyahu said on X. He said the other pilot — whose identity has not been disclosed but has been described as Omani by Israeli officials — stabbed Machchhar and “apparently tried to crash the aircraft with everyone on board.”
The Indian embassy in the UAE said Thursday on X that the ambassador had visited Machchhar and his family at the hospital.
“Captain Machchhar is in good health and recovering well,” it posted. “The Embassy remains in close coordination with local authorities to ensure his continued medical care and well-being.”
Israeli dentist Shota Musaev, one of the passengers who rushed into the cockpit to subdue the co-pilot, told Israeli media outlet Ynet that he found Machchhar “in very bad shape, with heavy bleeding from his head and hands.” He said that he helped stop the bleeding and that Machchhar told them he was 39 and had two children.
“The captain told me he wanted to live and didn’t want to die there,” Musaev said in a later interview. “There were moments when I thought we wouldn’t manage to land in time because he was bleeding heavily, but after we stopped the bleeding, his condition stabilized.”
Machchhar has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience, according to his verified LinkedIn profile. He worked at Indian airline SpiceJet for more than 10 years before joining Flydubai as a captain in 2022 and has logged some 9,750 flying hours, his profile states.
Machchhar grew up in Mumbai and moved to Dubai when he joined Flydubai, according to Indian media.
He told a podcast in October 2025 that he originally planned to join his family’s textile business before being bitten by the “aviation bug” while studying a management course. His mother was “scared” at the prospect of him flying, he said, though his father took it well and his family supported his decision.
He spent about 18 months training in New Zealand starting in 2008 at Mainland Air before returning to India to further his flying career.
Mainland Air chief executive Philip Kean told New Zealand’s 1 News that Machchhar was a strong student and natural leader and that they have remained in contact in the years since. “He’s obviously got good survival instincts in him and they came to fruition, as you’ve seen there,” he said.
SpiceJet also paid tribute to him on X, wishing him a swift recovery and praising his “courage and selfless actions.”
“You are a hero to us all, Captain,” the company said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised Machchhar.
“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 said Thursday on X. “His valor helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy.”
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