Flydubai Captain Describes Fight to Save Flight FZ 1073
Qwenews.com – Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar has described the moment he decided he had to keep resisting an alleged attack in the cockpit, despite suffering severe injuries aboard a flight bound for Tel Aviv.
Machchhar, who is recovering in hospital in Abu Dhabi, spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by video call on Friday, his first public comments after Wednesday’s suspected hijacking attempt on Flydubai flight FZ 1073.
“In that moment, I was fighting for my life,”
Machchhar told Modi that his injuries were so serious that he fell to the cockpit floor. As the aircraft appeared to be descending, he said he feared what might happen if he could not get back up.
“I was so severely wounded that I had fallen down… at that time, I was thinking what if I don’t get up?”
The flight’s diversion and emergency landing in Saudi Arabia prevented what could have become a catastrophic incident in the air. Machchhar was injured while attempting to stop his copilot, who was later restrained after passengers entered the cockpit and stand-in pilots took control of the aircraft.
A final effort to open the cockpit door
Machchhar recalled being on the cockpit floor when he realized the situation had reached a critical point. He said he focused on one immediate task: reaching and opening the door so that others could help.
“And I knew in that moment – one last push, Smit! Just do it. The door is right there,”
Even then, he said, the assault continued. But Machchhar managed to open the door, allowing passengers to rush forward. Several people entered the cockpit and restrained the alleged attacker, bringing a decisive end to the confrontation.
“And then I just opened it… and then everybody came,”
His actions were driven by both personal survival and concern for everyone aboard the plane, Machchhar said.
“I was doing this for my life, but at the same time, I knew that I couldn’t let everybody else die.”
Images from the aircraft showed blood inside the cockpit and the badly wounded captain lying on the floor with part of his face covered by a mask. Machchhar initially received treatment in Saudi Arabia after the diversion before being transferred to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital.
Shota Musaev, a dentist who was among the passengers and helped provide medical care, said Machchhar had experienced massive blood loss and had been severely injured.
Recognition from Indian and Israeli leaders
During their conversation, Modi praised the captain’s composure under extraordinary pressure. The Indian prime minister said Machchhar’s courage, patience and rapid decisions had saved many lives, noting that the pilot was facing a life-and-death struggle himself.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised Machchhar’s intervention, saying on Wednesday that it had prevented a disaster comparable to the September 11 attacks.
The incident has highlighted the importance of cockpit security, trained crew responses and decisive action by passengers during an emergency. In this case, the ability of people outside the cockpit to respond quickly became central to preventing further loss of control.
A father recovering far from home
Machchhar became emotional while speaking with Modi and apologized for crying during the call. The conversation later shifted into Gujarati, a language widely spoken in India’s western Gujarat state, where Modi was born.
The captain said his daughter had visited him in hospital but was frightened by the extent of his injuries. His youngest child, a two-year-old son, has not yet been able to see him.
A father of two, Machchhar did not originally set out with aviation as a childhood ambition. In a 2025 appearance on the Bona-Fide Banter podcast, he said he came from a textile-business family and initially entered a textile engineering program after completing school.
His path ultimately led him to the cockpit, where years later he faced an ordeal that placed the lives of passengers and crew in immediate danger. Speaking with Modi, he said the call itself had changed how he viewed what he had done.
“Now that you have called me, I am really really proud of myself,”
Machchhar added:
“I wasn’t proud before this, but now I am.”
As he continues his recovery, the events aboard flight FZ 1073 remain a reminder that aviation emergencies can depend not only on established procedures, but also on the resolve of individuals confronting danger in real time.
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