Who is the 'hero' Indian pilot who was stabbed on Israel-bound flight?

ByHenry Moore, in London, and Soutik Biswas, India correspondent, Reporting fromin Delhi.

Key points

• Machchhar has more than 9, 750 hours of flying experience, including more than 6, 400 hours as pilot-in-command, according to his LinkedIn profile.
• Minutes afterwards, the plane signalled an emergency code – squawk 7700 – before switching it to a squawk 7500 code.
• The plane was diverted to Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia and touched down at 06: 58, according to location data.
• The pilot who was stabbed on an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday has been identified as Indian national Capt Smit Machchhar.
• Machchhar was attacked by another pilot onboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, forcing the plane to divert to Saudi Arabia.

ByHenry Moore, in London, and Soutik Biswas, India correspondent, Reporting fromin Delhi. 1 October 2026, 07: 01 BST. Updated 21 minutes ago.

Notably, the pilot who was stabbed on an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday has been identified as Indian national Capt Smit Machchhar.

For context, the captain, who has been hailed as a "true hero" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was taken to a hospital in Tabuk, a city in north-western Saudi Arabia.

In practice, the Indian embassy in the United Arab Emirates remarked Machchhar was "in good health and recovering well". Ambassador Deepak Mittal remarked he was "proud of Capt Smit for his bravery" and "very reassured" to meet him.

Netanyahu wrote on X that Machchhar "saved the lives of 174 people" and prevented "a catastrophic mid-air disaster".

Machchhar grew up in the Indian city of Mumbai, where his parents still live. In 2008, he joined Mainland Air, an aviation college in New Zealand's Dunedin, before joining Indian airline SpiceJet as a commercial pilot three years afterwards.

He moved to Dubai and joined Flydubai in 2022 as an experienced pilot.

Philip Kean, the CEO of Mainland Air, informed the BBC he remembered Machchhar as a man who would remain calm in a crisis.

"We trained him for forced landing – not this kind of situation, which is very, very rare, " Kean remarked. "It was a long time back but he came across as a good and honest worker."

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

In practice, an old friend who worked with him at SpiceJet, Capt Dharav Gosalia, described him as outgoing and "very jovial".

Machchhar – whose nickname was "Smit Mac" – was a "disciplined flier" who had undergone years of training, he remarked, including from former Indian Air Force pilots who had moved into commercial aviation.

Last year, Machchhar spoke regarding how he kicked off flying and his experiences as a pilot on a podcast called Bona-Fide Banter.

Aviation, he remarked, was "never a childhood dream". When he was around 19, he joined a management course, planning to work for his family's business. But then he came throughout an aviation seminar and "the bug bit ", he went on.

When he wore his pilot's uniform, he was "no-nonsense" and thought "about work 100%", machchhar additionally spoke concerning how. But unlike his younger days, he continued, he now placed a greater value on having a healthy work-life balance and spending time with family.

"Give personal life equal importance – it will help you fly longer, " he advised.

He additionally detailed challenges he had faced in the air, including when a passenger went into early labour and the crew worked together to ensure the baby was born safely.

"In aviation terms, I was lucky to grow up with people who helped me be the pilot that I am today, " he remarked, crediting senior pilots with teaching him how to face stressful situations.

At the time of the conversation, Machchhar remarked that no plane he'd flown had needed to produce an emergency landing. He had, nevertheless, faced medical emergencies and minor aircraft matters that had caused delays.

He remarked delays were "not my challenge. As long as you're walking out of the aircraft, that's what I want."

Indian social media has been awash with praise for Machchhar since his identity emerged, with commenters calling him a hero. Snippets from the podcast have additionally gone viral. What we know regarding stabbing on Flydubai flight to Israel.

Flydubai's flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates at 03: 05 GMT (07: 05 local time) en route to Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.

Meanwhile, the flight was carrying at least 150 individuals, with Netanyahu saying "almost all" passengers were Israeli.

Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 demonstrates the plane produced a rapid descent over Saudi Arabia around two and a half hours after take-off, dropping more than 17, 000ft (5, 000m) in less than two minutes at around 05: 21.

Minutes afterwards, the plane signalled an emergency code – squawk 7700 – before switching it to a squawk 7500 code. It indicates a hijacking.

At 05: 40, the plane – which had briefly entered Jordanian airspace – looped back into Saudi Arabia, where it afterwards kicked off its manual descent for landing. Less than an hour afterwards, the plane returned to squawk 7700.

Initial local media reports cited Israeli authorities as saying a fight had broken out between two pilots.

But speaking on Wednesday after the incident, Netanyahu confirmed afterwards reports that one pilot had stabbed the other before "apparently trying to crash" the plane.

He remarked an Israeli passenger informed him "the plane went into a spin and began to descend" before the passenger and a crew member broke into the cockpit and overpowered the "pilot who had carried out the stabbing".

In practice, the plane was diverted to Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia and touched down at 06: 58, according to location data.

Notably, the stabbed pilot, who is in a stable condition according to the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia, was afterwards identified as Machchhar. Modi and Trump praise Machchhar.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked Machchhar "showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others" despite being seriously injured.

"His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy, " he wrote in a post on X, adding that he hoped for the pilot's speedy recovery.

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar praised the pilot's "extraordinary courage and remarkable presence of mind, even in the face of grave danger".

US President Donald Trump remarked to journalists at the White House that "the pilot was in very bad shape" but had the sense to open the cockpit door during the attack.

"Amazing, in a way he was a hero, to open the door. He was able to fall back and obtain the door open." Further reporting by Sharanya Hrishikesh and Meryl Sebastian.

For now, who is the ' hero' Indian pilot who was stabbed on Israel remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.