New Delhi, India: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally telephoned Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar on Saturday and praised his courage and composure after being violently attacked inside the cockpit by his Omani co-pilot aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 during its journey from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.
During the telephonic conversation, Prime Minister Netanyahu invited Captain Machchhar and his “dear friend,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to light a celebratory flame together during Israel’s next Independence Day celebrations. He hailed the Indian captain as “a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, a hero of the entire world, and celebrated him as an inspiration for the entire global community.
“I want to invite you and my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to light a celebratory flame on our next Independence Day. You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you’re a hero of the entire world. I wish you a very speedy and complete recovery,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during their telephonic conversation.
A Normal Flight Turns Terrifying
Recounting the sequence of events inside the cockpit, Captain Machchhar explained that the journey began as a routine, uneventful flight until the co-pilot suddenly turned violent under the guise of performing routine prayers.
“It was a normal flight, and he wanted to pray, which is not out of the ordinary. While he was praying, out of respect, I was looking at the front, not at the back, and suddenly there was a big blow to the back of my head. My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft and something was not right. But then, after that, the blow kept coming, one after the other. And that’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft; it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me,” Captain Machchhar said.
The confrontation caused the aircraft to enter a steep descent, dropping approximately 16,000 feet in two minutes before a hijacking distress signal was transmitted. Machchhar said he tried to resist the attacker but was struggling to see clearly after being struck repeatedly.
“I did try to stop him, but because of his initial blows, my vision was almost like nothing. And I was completely blurred out. And at that point, the next feeling that I had was that the aircraft was sharply going down,” Captain Machchhar said, noting that his recollection of the chaotic moments remains fragmented due to the trauma. “My memory is still in bits and pieces right now, but this is what I remember out of that time,” he added.
Machchhar also recalled trying to open the cockpit door while the attacker attempted to prevent him from doing so. At one point, the pilot said he was lying on the cockpit floor while hearing passengers screaming inside the aircraft.
A Desperate Struggle for Survival
Refusing to surrender to the terrifying situation, the injured Indian captain made a daring attempt to open the reinforced cockpit door to alert help, only to have the attacker slam it shut once again. He vividly recalled collapsing onto the flight deck floor as the terrifying sounds of rushing air and screaming passengers echoed around him.
“I did try and manage to open the door once, but I think he shut it back closed. And at this point, I remember I was lying down on the cockpit floor. And I felt the aircraft and the whooshing sound and people screaming. And as I was telling the ambassador here, I had one last fight left in me. Call it personal or call it for people, but let’s say I did it, that if I don’t do it, I’m going to die,” he said.
Machchhar said he then made another attempt to reach the cockpit door and managed to open it, allowing people outside to enter and take control of the situation.
“And that’s when I pushed against everything I gave, everything that I had, and just went for the door and opened the door. And thankfully, people were waiting to pounce back and took over the control,” he said.
Flight crew members and passengers subsequently entered the cockpit and restrained the attacker, allowing control of the aircraft to be restored. Two non-duty aviators who were among the passengers also helped assume control of the aircraft as it was diverted for an emergency landing.
The aircraft later landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all 180 occupants disembarking without injury.
Global Acclaim and Warm Wishes
Listening closely to the pilot’s vivid testimony, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed absolute astonishment at Captain Machchhar’s extraordinary level of professional composure and grit under impossible conditions.
“Frankly, I’m amazed at your courage, at your coolness of judgement under impossible conditions,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister said he had also heard accounts from Israeli passengers who were on board the flight and credited Machchhar and others who intervened with preventing a potentially larger tragedy.
“I heard, of course, from the Israeli passengers what transpired after that, and you’re a great hero, and you were accompanied by heroes, and you saved the day. You saved so many souls. I think you saved something bigger. You saved the spirit of the world to realise that a brave pilot and brave passengers can overcome this evil, however threatening, however violent. It’s something that is being justly hailed around the world. You’re a hero of Israel. You’re a hero of India. You’re a hero of the entire world. And I can tell you that people here will welcome you with open arms,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also conveyed his regards to Machchhar’s wife and wished the pilot a speedy recovery.
“And please also pass the best regards from me and my wife to your wife. I know you have a family and know that you’re part of the family of nations. You’re part of the family of nations and a heroic part. Please get well. Please get well as soon as you can,” Netanyahu said.
Background of the Incident
The security incident took place on September 30 aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv.Investigations later confirmed that the Omani co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked Machchhar with a knife inside the cockpit in what was described as an attempted terrorist attack. Despite suffering severe injuries, Machchhar resisted the attack and managed to open the cockpit entry, allowing others to intervene.
Machchhar is now being hailed for his actions during the incident. Netanyahu’s invitation for the Indian pilot and Modi to participate in Israel’s Independence Day ceremony adds further recognition to the pilot’s actions during an incident that placed the lives of everyone aboard the aircraft at risk.
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