Indian pilot Smit Machchhar hailed after foiling flydubai cockpit attack

02-Oct-2026

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Israeli leaders have praised Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, after he was stabbed and seriously injured in the cockpit of a flydubai flight and still helped prevent what Israeli officials described as an attempt by his co-pilot to crash the aircraft. The flight, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and other leaders wished Machchhar a speedy recovery, while the Indian Embassy in the UAE said he is in good health and recovering well. The aircraft later landed safely in Saudi Arabia, where authorities took the co-pilot into custody.