A fight in the cockpit of a Flydubai plane. The pilot stopped an attempt to hijack the plane

"There was blood everywhere"

Dramatic events took place on Wednesday on board a Flydubai plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. There was a fight between two pilots in the cockpit of the plane. The findings so far show that one of them - an Omani citizen - tried to break or hijack the machine. The second one - Smit Machchhar - wanted to prevent this.

The attacker stabbed Captain Machchhar. During the struggle, the cockpit door was open. Thanks to this, other passengers ran inside, overpowered the attacker and took control of the plane. The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. This was successful because there were two pilots among the passengers.

Machchhar himself was seriously injured. He was provided first aid by a dentist who was on the plane.

"I think if we had waited another moment, we would have lost him. His blood pressure dropped dramatically, he suddenly lost consciousness, and there was blood everywhere," Shota Musaev said.

According to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Machchhar is currently hospitalized in Saudi Arabia and his condition is stable.

The Prime Ministers of Israel and India speak with one voice

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outright called Makhchhar a hero and emphasized that his courage "prevented a catastrophe like the one on September 11." Writing on X, Netanyahu stated that Captain Makhchhar "saved the lives of 174 people."

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi also wrote that Captain Smit Machchhar is a hero. "In the face of the greatest threat and despite serious injuries, he showed great courage and determination to protect the lives of others. India is proud of Captain Machchhar," Modi said.

Initially, he did not dream of becoming a pilot

Machchhar was born in Mumbai. His family was involved in the textile industry. Last year, in an interview on the Bona-Fide podcast, Banter said that as a child he never dreamed of becoming a pilot.

After school, he enrolled in a textile engineering course. I completed the entire course, I was still young, so I wanted to learn a little more, he said.

Then he took a flight course and, as he himself said, "bitten the bug" and decided that he would like to sit at the controls of an airplane. He received training in New Zealand.

“Half a minute later it would be over.”

He was always a cheerful young man and tried very hard, his instructor at the time, Philip Kean, said in an interview with CNN. It is easy to recognize Machchhar in a group photo from that time. That characteristic smile... he's just a happy, joyful person, he says.

Kean, commenting on Wednesday's incident on board Flydubai, said the pilot's reaction was amazing. The plane could have been lost within seconds, and luckily they were able to get the doors open... luckily he was able to hang on and save the day. Half a minute later it would all be over, said the president in an interview with CNN. I'm very proud that he handled this situation, he added.

Before joining Flydubai, Machchhar spent 11 years with Indian airline SpiceJet, where he was promoted to the position of senior commander. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has over 9,750 hours of flying experience, including over 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command.

His former employer, SpiceJet, issued a statement calling Machchhar a "hero" who saved "countless lives".

Childbirth on board an airplane

When it comes to aviation, I was lucky to be around people who helped me become the pilot I am today, he said on a podcast last year. He emphasized that it was experienced pilots who taught him how to deal with stressful situations.

During the conversation, Captain Machchhar said that no plane he was flying in had to make an emergency landing. However, there were minor plane failures that caused delays. Delays are not a problem - as long as you get off the plane safely, he said.

Before Wednesday's incident, one of the most unusual situations he had encountered in his more than 15-year aviation career was the birth of a baby on board.

The woman began to experience premature labor pains, Machchhar recalled in the Bona-Fide Banter podcast. She said something like: Captain, I'm going into labor," he said.

Machchhar himself is the father of two children. As he said in the podcast, family is very important to him and he tries to spend as much time with them as possible.