Smit Machchhar prevented a co-pilot's attempted crash on a flight carrying 174 passengers.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu praised hospitalized Smit Machchhar as a hero for stopping a co-pilot's attempted crash on a flight with 174 passengers and invited him to Israel's Independence Day.
AI-generated summary
A flight carrying 174 passengers experienced danger due to a co-pilot attack on Smit Machchhar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Smit Machchhar a hero for preventing a co-pilot's attempted crash.
Machchhar, who is hospitalized, detailed the traumatic incident during a recent conversation.
The flight, which had 174 passengers, experienced serious danger after Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot.
Netanyahu invited Machchhar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to celebrate Israeli Independence Day.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on phone to Indian pilot Captain Smit Machhar, who saved the lives of the plane and passengers by opening the cockpit door after the co-pilot's alleged attack on a Flydubai flight, and praised his bravery, calling him a hero of India, Israel and the whole world. Netanyahu invited Smit to light the torch on Israel's Independence Day.
Yemen's internationally recognised government launched strikes against Iran-aligned Houthi targets in Sanaa and Saada, escalating military operations amid Red Sea tensions. Saudi Arabia is considering a major offensive to regain control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, potentially mobilising over 100,000 Yemeni troops with Saudi oversight and airstrikes.
Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar described to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu how he survived a violent assault by his co-pilot during a flight, repeatedly struck in the head, before managing to open the cockpit door using a twist mechanism and summoning help, an act Netanyahu praised as heroic and life-saving.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar as a 'hero of Israel, India, and the entire world' for thwarting an alleged attempt by his Omani co-pilot to crash a Flydubai flight bound for Israel using a crash axe. Netanyahu invited Machchhar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame at Israel's Independence Day ceremony. The incident occurred on Wednesday aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 carrying 174 passengers, during which the co-pilot attacked Machchhar with repeated blows to the head, prompting an emergency descent and landing in Saudi Arabia. Machchhar received medical treatment in the UAE, and UAE authorities classified the event as an attempted terrorist attack.
Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar recounted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu how he suffered repeated blows from the co-pilot, opened the cockpit door despite injuries, and saved lives during an in-flight attack, prompting Netanyahu to praise him as a hero and invite him to Israel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian forces have de-occupied approximately 125-140 square kilometres of territory in Operation Vivaldi, an ongoing counteroffensive in the Lyman direction of northern Donetsk region. He reported increased Russian casualties, claimed U.S. President Donald Trump wants to end the war, and noted ongoing long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine, including a Shahed drone attack on Kyiv's Pivnichnyi Bridge and Ukrainian strikes in Russia's Samara and Bryansk regions.