Netanyahu invites injured Flydubai pilot to Israel ceremony

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited injured Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar to light a torch at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony next May, praising his actions during an attack in the cockpit. Netanyahu made the invitation during a telephone call with Machchhar, who is recovering in Abu Dhabi. He also invited the pilot and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Israel as guests of honour.

Netanyahu said the torch-lighting role was usually reserved for Israeli citizens. Machchhar was severely injured when his Omani co-pilot attacked him aboard Wednesday’s Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight. During the call, he said he opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene.

The pilot recalled that the co-pilot had asked for time to pray. Machchhar said he continued looking ahead out of respect, then felt a blow to the back of his head several minutes later. He said he initially thought the aircraft had suffered catastrophic damage before realising he was being attacked.

Machchhar said he opened the cockpit door despite his injuries. Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, while reserve pilots landed the aircraft at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The flight was carrying 174 passengers.

Machchhar received initial treatment in Tabuk before being transferred to Abu Dhabi, where he was reported to be stable. The UAE attorney general described the incident as a terrorist attack and said the co-pilot had used the aircraft’s crash axe and tried to take control of the plane. The Associated Press reported that the co-pilot had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about extremist views.

It remains unclear what Flydubai knew about that decision or how extensively he was vetted. Modi praised Machchhar during a video call, while UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum visited him and conveyed the leadership’s appreciation.