Flydubai pilot stabbed by co-pilot saves 174 on Tel Aviv flight

Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on Wednesday, forcing the Boeing 737 to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The 182-person flight carried 174 passengers and eight crew members.

Machchhar, an Indian national with 17 years of aviation experience, suffered serious wounds but managed to open the cockpit door while the aircraft descended sharply. Passengers entered and restrained the attacker, identified by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an Omani national.

“I couldn't let everyone else die.”

The captain was airlifted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi where he remains in stable condition with a nasal tube and bandages on his head and hands. Netanyahu praised Machchhar as a "true hero" who prevented a "catastrophic air disaster" and saved 174 lives.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Machchhar via video call on Friday, commending his courage and presence of mind. Modi told the captain that Indians "risk their own lives to save others" and thanked his mother, Geeta Ben, for instilling such values.

Machchhar recounted that while fighting for his life on the floor, he felt the plane sinking and realized a final push to open the door could save everyone. He credited passengers for taking "equal part" in subduing the attacker.

Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot and are conducting an interrogation. The motive for the attack remains unclear. Machchhar joined Flydubai in 2022 after 11 years as a captain at SpiceJet, accumulating over 9,750 flight hours.