An attempted air hijacking occurred on September 30 on a passenger plane flying from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Israel. After one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, the passengers and crew worked together to stop the attacker, and the plane diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed safely.
The pilot who was stabbed was confirmed to be Indian Capt Smit Machchhar. He was sent to a hospital in Tabuk, a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia, for treatment.
The Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates said Machar was "in good health and recovering well."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised him as a "true hero" who "saved 174 lives" and prevented a "catastrophic air accident".
India's ambassador to Israel, Deepak Mittal, said he was proud of Machar's courage and was happy to meet him.
Years of flying experience
Machar grew up in Mumbai, India, where his parents still live.
In 2008, he entered the aviation school Mainland Air in Dunedin, New Zealand, and three years later joined the Indian airline SpiceJet as a commercial aviation pilot.
In 2022, he moved to Dubai and joined Dubai Air as a senior pilot.
Mainland Air chief executive Philip Kean told the BBC he remembered Machar as someone who could remain calm in times of crisis.
"We trained him how to deal with a forced landing, but not in this case because these events are extremely rare," he said.
"Although it was a long time ago, he gave the impression of a serious and honest worker."
According to his LinkedIn profile, Machar has accumulated more than 9,750 flight hours, of which more than 6,400 hours were as captain.
His former employer SpiceJet issued a statement calling Machar a "hero" and said he had saved "countless lives."
Capt Dharav Gosalia, an old friend who worked with him at SpiceJet, described him as outgoing and "very cheerful".
Gosalia said Machar, nicknamed "Smit Mac," was a disciplined pilot who had received years of training, including learning from former Indian Air Force pilots who had turned to civilian aviation.
"Your ability to get off the plane safely is the most important thing to me."
Last year, Machar talked about how he got into flying and his experience as a pilot in the podcast "Bona-Fide Banter".
Aviation, he said, "was never a childhood dream." When he was about 19 years old, he studied management courses and originally planned to take over the family business, but then he accidentally attended an aviation lecture and "fell in love with flying from then on."
Machar also said that when he puts on the pilot uniform, he becomes very focused and puts his mind "100% on work."
But he added that he now values work-life balance and time with his family more than he did when he was younger.
"Give your private life equal importance, and it will keep you flying longer," he advises.
He also shared the challenges he faced during the flight, including one time when a passenger gave birth prematurely, and the crew worked together to ensure that the baby was born safely.
"From an aviation perspective, I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of people along the way who have helped me make me who I am today," he said.
He also said that many senior pilots taught him how to deal with high-pressure situations.
At the time of the interview, Machar said he had never flown a plane that had to make an emergency landing.
However, he has experienced in-flight medical emergencies and minor aircraft malfunctions that have delayed flights.
"Delays are not my problem. As long as you get off the plane safely, that's all I care about," he said.
Since Machar's identity was revealed, there has been a flood of praise on Indian social media, with many people calling him a hero.
Clips from the podcast also quickly went viral.
Stabbed during flight
Dubai Air flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates at 03:05 GMT (07:05 local time), destined for Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.
There were at least 150 people on board, and Netanyahu said "almost all" of the passengers were Israelis.
Data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed that about two and a half hours after takeoff, the passenger plane descended rapidly over Saudi Arabia, descending more than 17,000 feet (5,000 meters) in two minutes at approximately 05:21.
A few minutes later, the airliner issued emergency code 7700, and then changed to code 7500, which represented a hijacking incident.
At 05:40, the plane that briefly entered Jordanian airspace turned back to Saudi Arabia and then began a manual descent to prepare for landing.
Less than an hour later, the plane issued code 7700 again.
Local media initially quoted Israeli officials as saying a fight broke out between the two pilots on board.
But Netanyahu confirmed after the incident on Wednesday that one pilot "clearly tried to crash the plane" after stabbing another pilot.
He said an Israeli passenger told him that "the plane started spinning and descending," and that the passenger and a crew member later broke into the cockpit and subdued "the pilot who committed the stabbing."
According to location data, the plane was diverted to Tabuk Airport in northwest Saudi Arabia and landed at 06:58.
Modi, Trump praise Machar
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that despite being seriously injured, Machar showed "extraordinary courage and determination to protect the lives of others."
He also wished Machar a speedy recovery.
