Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar’s Journey From Textile Engineering to Aviation
Smit Machchhar is a pilot who flies Boeing 737 aircraft for flydubai.
During one flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, his co-pilot allegedly attacked him and tried to make the plane crash.
Machchhar fought back while keeping control of the aircraft.
The plane then made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
There were 174 passengers on board.
Some Israeli passengers helped restrain the co-pilot.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Machchhar for his courage.
Machchhar did not originally plan to become a pilot.
He became interested in aviation after studying textile engineering and management, then trained to fly in New Zealand.
Captain Smit Machchhar was allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot during a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
Machchhar fought back, and the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with 174 passengers aboard.
Israeli passengers later helped subdue the co-pilot, who was identified as an Omani national.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Machchhar, saying he prevented a potential attack comparable to 9/11.
Machchhar entered aviation after studying textile engineering and management and now has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience.
- Who
- Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar, his co-pilot, and 174 passengers were involved; Narendra Modi later praised Machchhar.
- What
- The co-pilot allegedly stabbed Machchhar and attempted to crash the aircraft, but Machchhar fought back and the plane landed safely in an emergency landing.
- When
- The article says Modi praised Machchhar on Thursday; the date of the in-flight incident is not specified.
- Where
- The flight was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- Machchhar became a pilot after an aviation seminar sparked his interest during management studies; the alleged attack’s motive is not stated.
- Airline
- flydubai
- Flight route
- Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Passengers
- 174
- Emergency landing
- Saudi Arabia
- Aircraft experience
- Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8/9
- Commercial experience
- More than 13 years and over 9,750 flying hours
- Previous airline
- SpiceJet, where Machchhar spent about 11 years