The captain who helped prevent the Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight from crashing has been identified as Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, according to Israeli media reports.
Machchhar was allegedly stabbed repeatedly by his Omani co-pilot as the co-pilot attempted to take control of the aircraft. Despite his injuries, the attack was stopped and the plane ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
The Dubai-based captain has more than 13 years of experience flying Boeing 737 aircraft and has worked for flydubai since 2022.
Captain Smit Machchhar's journey into aviation began with a decision that worried his mother but received a simple response from his father: โJust figure out how and where you can do it.โ
Machchhar has said that becoming a pilot was never his childhood dream. After school, he initially pursued textile engineering, a field connected to his family's business, before moving into a management course.
It was during an aviation seminar at the age of 19 that his plans changed completely. Fascinated by the possibility of flying professionally, Machchhar decided he wanted to pursue aviation.
His mother was scared by the decision, while his father responded calmly and encouraged him to figure out how and where he could train.
Machchhar eventually travelled to New Zealand for his pilot training. He has said the course cost around โน16-17 lakh at the time, significantly less than what similar training can cost today.
He went on to build a career spanning more than 13 years, accumulating over 9,750 flying hours on Boeing 737 aircraft. After more than a decade with SpiceJet, where he became a Senior Commander and Line Training Captain, he joined Flydubai in 2022.
Years after that life-changing decision at 19, Machchhar is now being praised internationally for his actions during the dramatic cockpit incident aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073.
