Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the co-pilot attacked Capt Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit, according to Israeli officials and subsequent reports.
Initial accounts cited about 170 passengers on board. Published figures have since differed: AP reported 182 passengers, while Reuters reported 174 people aboard.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar and tried to bring down the aircraft. During the incident, the plane entered a descent before control was regained. The motive remains under investigation.
Machchhar later told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that, despite his injuries, he opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and restrain the co-pilot. Reuters reported that a backup pilot team then landed the aircraft in Tabuk.
Early accounts of the incident said two other people aboard with flying experience brought the aircraft down. Reuters has separately reported that passengers helped stabilise the controls before another pilot aboard took over, while its later account referred to a backup pilot team carrying out the landing.
One passenger said screams were heard before Machchhar emerged from the cockpit bleeding.
The UAE opened an investigation into the incident. Saudi authorities have also been involved in the investigation, while the co-pilot was detained after the aircraft landed.
Capt Smit Machchhar taken to Abu Dhabi
Machchhar was later transferred from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi for treatment.
The Indian Embassy in the UAE said its ambassador visited him in hospital and said: “Captain Machchhar is in good health and recovering well.” India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said it is following his condition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar a “hero” in a post on X.
“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others,” Modi wrote.
Modi later spoke to Machchhar by video call. Machchhar told him how he had opened the cockpit door after being attacked, enabling those outside to intervene.
From Mumbai to a career in aviation
Machchhar grew up in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, near the city’s international airport. Flying was not his childhood plan. He had been expected to enter his family’s textiles business and began considering aviation after attending a seminar.
“That is where the aviation bug bit me,” he said in a podcast recorded before Wednesday’s flight. His mother was concerned about his decision to pursue flying.
“You didn’t hear a lot of people becoming pilots, no one had any idea how to do it,” he recalled. “So first of all, that was something that scared my mom.”
According to a report by The New York Times, Machchhar travelled to New Zealand to train at Mainland, an aviation school, where he completed an 18-month programme.
Its director, Philip Kean, recalled his time as a student. “He was a good student — a good average student. He did his job. He got his commercial license, which he had come here for,” Kean said.
Machchhar progressed from first officer to captain over a period of about 13 years and later trained other pilots. He worked as a trainer at SpiceJet before training pilots through Fly By Aviation.
Reuters and AP have since reported that Machchhar has about 17 years of flying experience in total. AP reported that he has logged more than 9,750 flying hours.
Dhaval Patel, a classmate who later flew under Machchhar’s mentorship, said Machchhar focused on preparation and ensuring pilots were ready to carry out their work. “He would also ensure that the pilot is confident enough to execute the job well,” Patel said.
‘You have to perform’
Before Wednesday’s incident, Machchhar had spoken about flying through monsoon rain and changes in wind. He also recalled a flight during which a passenger went into labour.
“There was a sense of urgency,” he said on the podcast. “In my head, I had zero margin of error.”
During the same interview, Machchhar said he avoided conversations that required too much attention while in the cockpit because he wanted to remain focused on flying. He also said rest was central to maintaining performance.
“You have to perform. There’s no alternative,” he said. Those comments were recorded before the attack aboard flight FZ1073.
Machchhar was asked during the podcast to describe in one word how flying made him feel. “Blessed,” he said.
