Indian captain praised after wounded pilot thwarts suspected flight attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Indian flydubai captain Smit Machchhar after an altercation with his co-pilot led to the diversion of a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight. Israeli officials, cited by Ynet, said the Omani co-pilot was suspected of trying to crash the aircraft, which carried 174 passengers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Indian flydubai captain Smit Machchhar after he was wounded while confronting a co-pilot during a flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu described Machchhar as a “true hero”, saying the captain fought back after being stabbed, opened the cockpit door and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. The prime minister said the captain’s actions prevented a catastrophic mid-air disaster and saved the lives of 174 people.
The flydubai flight, FZ1073, was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, September 30, when it transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk. The aircraft was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children. Ynet, citing Israeli officials, reported that the co-pilot was an Omani national suspected of attempting to crash the plane.
The supplied report did not provide further details about the co-pilot or an official account of the alleged motive. According to the report, Israeli passengers later helped restrain the co-pilot. Machchhar was injured in the confrontation, while the flight reached the Saudi airport after the diversion.
Machchhar, a native of Mumbai, has more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and has flown over 9,500 hours. He worked for SpiceJet for more than 11 years before joining flydubai as a captain in June 2022. His professional profile lists more than 6,400 hours as pilot in command and experience flying Boeing 737 aircraft.
It also identifies him as a former line-training captain at SpiceJet. A senior pilot who had worked with him at SpiceJet described him as a good person, according to the report. Netanyahu’s comments focused on Machchhar’s conduct during the incident and the lives he was credited with protecting.
The available material records the diversion, the reported altercation and the praise for the captain, but does not give details of subsequent legal proceedings or the condition of the co-pilot.
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