Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar’s dramatic battle with his co-pilot during a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight has drawn widespread attention from media outlets around the world. Machchhar helped avert a potential mid-air disaster after being stabbed and seriously injured by his co-pilot while flying with 174 people on board.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar fought back and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene and overpower the attacker. The aircraft was subsequently diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited Machchhar with saving all 174 people on board and hailed him as a “true hero”. The incident has since featured prominently in international coverage.
How world media covered Smit Machchhar’s heroic mid-air battle
Here’sĀ how some of the worldās biggest news organisations reported theĀ ordeal.
CNN described Machchhar and the passengers who intervened during the cockpit confrontation as ‘heroes’, focusing on how they thwarted what it described as an apparent attempted hijacking of the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight.
The Guardian reported that Machchhar was hailed as a hero for managing to wrest control of the aircraft from the attacker, who it said apparently attempted to crash the flight.
The BBC focused on Machchhar’s identity and his ordeal, asking: “Who is the ‘hero’ Indian pilot who was stabbed on Israel-bound flight?”
Reuters highlighted his journey from textile engineering to aviation, with the headline: “From textile engineering to cockpit hero: Indian pilot wins praise after flydubai drama.”
The Associated Press (AP) also described Machchhar as a hero in its report on the cockpit stabbing aboard the Flydubai flight bound for Israel.
The New York Times published a profile-style report titled, “Who Is the FlyDubai Pilot Being Hailed as a Hero?”
The New York Post identified the pilot as an Indian national and focused on his confrontation with the co-pilot.
The Washington Post also reported on Machchhar being hailed as a hero following the cockpit stabbing.
The Times of Israel highlighted the role of the pilot and passengers, describing the incident as a series of mid-air āmiraclesā that thwarted an alleged attempt to crash the plane.
Who isĀ Smit Machchhar?
Captain Smit Machchhar is an experienced commercial pilot who currently works as a direct-entry captain with Dubai-based Flydubai. According to his professional profile cited by Indian media, he has more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and around 9,750 hours of flying experience, largely on Boeing 737 aircraft.Ā
Before joining Flydubai, Machchhar spent around 11 years with Indian airline SpiceJet. During his tenure there, he served as a senior commander and later as a line training captain, a role involving the training and assessment of pilots. He joined Flydubai in June 2022. His parents have reportedly travelled to Tabuk after learning that their son was injured. Reports have also said that Machchhar’s brother recently joined Flydubai as a pilot, although he has not yet begun flying.
What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073?
The flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, transmitted emergency signals on Wednesday and made a sharp descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk city.Ā The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
In videos circulating on social media, the pilot can be seen drenched in blood, wearing an oxygen mask and lying on his back in the galley of the aircraft.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk airport, and all passengers were out of danger, said Netanyahu, who met his security chiefs to discuss the situation.
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