India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a “HERO” Thursday after he was wounded by his co-pilot aboard a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight as they fought for control of the aircraft.
Airline flydubai said all the passengers — of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports — were safe. “Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO,” Modi said in a statement posted on social media.
“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others,” Modi added.
“His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also hailed Machchhar “for his extraordinary bravery”, praising him for fighting back despite being wounded and “preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster” on Wednesday.
Machchhar, in his 30s, is from the economic capital Mumbai, Indian media reported on Thursday.
According to English-language newspaper Mumbai Mirror, Machchhar’s parents had flown to see him in Saudi Arabia, where he is recovering.
The newspaper called him a “Superhero in the sky”. Machchhar has “over 13 years of commercial flying experience on the Boeing 737 fleet” and has flown for flydubai since 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He previously worked for the Indian airline SpiceJet. Machchhar spoke about his route into flying in a podcast in 2025. He caught the “aviation bug” after attending a seminar while studying management to help his family’s textile business.
Machchhar described his first commercial flight as “scary” due to the responsibility it came with, but said he learnt to cope with the pressure. “Stressing is not going to help at least in this in this industry,” he said.
