‘I was fighting for my life’: Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls FlyDubai cockpit attack

The Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight described Friday how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent.

Captain Smit Machchhar, recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call broadcast live on television news channels that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save the passengers aboard the aircraft.

“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” he said from the hospital, his head bandaged and tubes in his nose, before breaking down as he recalled the attack.

“I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives,” he told Modi.

Machchhar, who is from India’s financial hub of Mumbai, was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, witnesses and Israeli authorities said.

He has been hailed as a hero for his actions, with world leaders saying he helped prevent a potential disaster.

Indian FlyDubai pilot hailed as hero in Mumbai

An Indian FlyDubai pilot who was stabbed trying to stop a mid-air attack on a flight bound for Tel Aviv is being hailed a hero. Captain Smit Machchhar is now recovering in hospital.

The flight, carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.

Machchhar said that during those difficult moments, he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman and traditionally recited as a prayer for strength and courage.

“Lord Hanuman gave me courage,” he told Modi.

Machchhar, who is married and has two children, has worked for FlyDubai for about four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet.

Israel to repatriate citizens in U.A.E.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was undergoing interrogation there. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump have publicly mused about potential links between the attacker and Iran without providing any evidence to support the allegations.

Trump’s suggestion that there could be an Iranian link adds a new layer of uncertainty to the on-and-off diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing an end to the seven-month Iran war.

He said Thursday if it is determined that Iranian agents were behind the attack, the United States will “hit them very hard.”

How a FlyDubai flight survived a hijacking attempt against impossible odds

A FlyDubai flight bound for Tel Aviv plummeted more than 17,000 feet through the air after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the plane’s cockpit. Andrew Chang breaks down the attack and how the plane managed to land safely despite the odds. (Photo credits: The Canadian Press, Reuters, Adobe Stock and Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Israel was beginning repatriation flights on Friday to bring back passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates after commercial travel between the two countries was suspended following the violent incident.

The Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv listed carriers Arkia and Israir with flights scheduled to arrive from Dubai late Friday and early Saturday. El Al was expected to fly passengers from Dubai to Israel on Sunday.

Dubai has been a popular destination for Israelis since Israel and the U.A.E. established ties in 2020 as part of the Trump administration’s Abraham Accords to normalize ties between Israel and Arab countries.

— The Associated Press