Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar, stabbed by his co-pilot during a flight, has spoken publicly for the first time since the mid-air attack, saying he could not “let everybody else die.” In a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the captain recalled the moment he was attacked on the cockpit floor on Wednesday, realising the plane was dropping and that he had to act despite “fighting for his life.”
Captain's account of the attack
“I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from the inside,” Machchhar said. “Everybody came and also played a role. I was of course fighting for my own life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die.”
He added that even at that moment, the attacker was still “beating” him up. The interview, shared on social media by Modi, showed Machchhar wearing a cannula with his head bandaged from his injuries.
Flight FZ1073 and the terror plot
Flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai on Wednesday morning, headed for Tel Aviv in Israel. Two and a half hours into the flight, the co-pilot launched a violent attack, attempting to take control in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a planned “9/11” terror plot. Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door from the inside, alerting passengers and crew, who overpowered the attacker and landed the plane. Israeli passenger Asaf Rajuan was among those who subdued the attacker, putting him in a chokehold and pinning him down.
Praise and recovery
The plane was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, saving all 180 people on board. Machchhar and the passengers have been praised for their “heroic” actions by Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Modi. In the video call, Modi praised the captain’s “courage, patience, and quick decision-making,” adding that the whole country was proud of him. Machchhar responded: “Now that you have called me, I am really proud of myself. I wasn't proud before this, but now I am.”
Machchhar was pictured bloodied and injured as he was transported to hospital in Saudi Arabia. He is now recovering well at a hospital in Abu Dhabi and in stable condition. In the interview, he mentioned that his daughter had visited him but was scared by his injuries; his son has not yet seen him. Machchhar, an Indian national with over a decade of aviation experience, previously worked at SpiceJet. He has logged more than 9,500 flying hours, including over 6,400 as pilot-in-command, and has trained and mentored young pilots.
Modi said on X that Machchhar had “helped to save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy,” adding that despite serious injury, he showed “immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others.” Netanyahu said on Wednesday: “Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, [Captain Machchhar] fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic midair disaster.” Trump also hailed Machchhar a “hero,” telling reporters in the Oval Office that the co-pilot was “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job.”
