The Indian captain seriously wounded during the midair attack aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel has spoken publicly for the first time about his fight to save the aircraft and the more than 180 people aboard, confirming that he opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene.
Capt. Smit Machchhar recounted the dramatic moments during a video call from his hospital bed in the United Arab Emirates with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
“I had so many injuries, but I told myself that I had to get up and act,” Machchhar said. “At that moment, I pushed myself to open the cockpit door. I fought for my life. I understood that if I did not show courage, 170 passengers would lose their lives.”
Machchhar was piloting flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him and attempted to crash the Boeing 737 MAX 8 while it was flying over Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was carrying 182 people: 174 passengers and eight crew members.
Despite suffering severe injuries, Machchhar managed to open the locked cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and overpower his attacker. Two off-duty pilots traveling aboard the aircraft then helped bring the plane under control and land it safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Modi praised Machchhar during their conversation, telling him that India was praying for his recovery.
“Your courage, composure and calm saved many lives,” Modi said. “The country can proudly say that Indians are not people who take lives, but people who are willing to risk their lives to save others.”
Machchhar replied, “I never thought I would have the opportunity to speak with you.”
The 38-year-old captain underwent emergency surgery in Tabuk after the aircraft landed and was subsequently transferred to the UAE for further treatment.
Machchhar suffered serious wounds to his neck and hands during the attack, according to reports. Despite his injuries and the aircraft’s rapid loss of altitude, he was able to raise the alarm and release the cockpit door, enabling those outside to intervene.
Modi had already publicly hailed Machchhar as a “hero,” saying his “immense courage and unwavering resolve” helped avert a major tragedy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has similarly praised the Indian pilot, saying his actions prevented what could have become a “9/11-style” attack.
“The amazing heroism here of the Indian pilot, the Israeli passenger and his colleagues, and those pilots managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster because that’s what it looks like was happening,” he told CNN on Wednesday.
Netanyahu said on Thursday that the Omani co-pilot appeared to have undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” and that “it looks very likely that he was going to down the plane,” while stressing that the investigation was continuing.
UAE authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, including whether it was connected to terrorist activity.
Dr. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also praised Machchhar in a post on X on Friday.
“The Indian flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar deserves every appreciation. In confronting a dangerous terrorist act and a potential catastrophe, he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility,” he wrote on X. “His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest circumstances make him a true hero.”
The captain’s actions have also drawn praise in his native India. The government of Gujarat, his home state, announced that it will honor him for his bravery. Machchhar, who previously flew for SpiceJet, has more than a decade of commercial aviation experience and nearly 10,000 flying hours.
