New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke directly on Friday with Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who thwarted a mid-air attack by his co-pilot aboard a flydubai flight and averted a catastrophic disaster. During the conversation, Machchhar recounted the harrowing ordeal and explained what gave him the strength to resist the assault. Modi commended his extraordinary courage, expressing national gratitude and wishing him a rapid recovery.
The telephone conversation follows remarks Modi made on Thursday praising Machchhar’s presence of mind, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the Indian captain had prevented a potential 9/11-style catastrophe. Modi had previously contacted Machchhar’s parents, Bhupendrabhai and Gitaben, as well as his wife, Sonalben, to extend support from Indian missions abroad.
Machchhar is currently undergoing medical care in the United Arab Emirates following initial emergency treatment in Saudi Arabia. India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, visited the captain and his family at the hospital, reporting that Machchhar remains in stable condition and high spirits. Mittal emphasised that the Indian Embassy is coordinating closely with local medical authorities to ensure he receives comprehensive care.
The high-altitude incident occurred on flydubai flight FZ1073 en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying roughly 180 people. The co-pilot launched a violent stabbing attack inside the cockpit in an apparent attempt to crash the aircraft, triggering a rapid plunge of thousands of feet. Despite sustaining severe lacerations to his head and hands, Machchhar managed to unlock the security door, allowing cabin crew and passengers to breach the flight deck and restrain the assailant.
Newly surfaced passenger footage broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12 captures the intense chaos inside the cabin as passengers shouted warnings and called for immediate assistance. The video shows an Israeli dentist, Dr. Shota Musayev, rushing forward to administer first aid to a bloodied Machchhar lying outside the cockpit. Machchhar can be heard recounting the attack, stating that his injured hand could still move but had lost grip strength.
Following the intervention, relief crew members aboard the aircraft stabilised the Boeing 737 and executed a successful emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Saudi law enforcement subsequently took the attacker into custody. Netanyahu later stated that preliminary interrogations, joined by Israeli investigators, indicate the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination.
