PM Modi speaks to wounded Indian pilot, praises his courage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Captain Smit Machchaar, who foiled an attempt by his co-pilot to allegedly crash an Israel-bound flydubai flight, and applauded his bravery. During the telephonic conversation, Machchaar gave details of his experience and what gave him courage during the incident, government sources said. Modi applauded the pilot's bravery and wished him a quick recovery.

#WATCH | PM Modi speaks with Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar through a video call and praises his courage, presence of mind and composure in how he saved many lives

The PM says to Captain Smit, "The whole country is praying for you. Maha Mrityunjay Jaap is being done for you and… pic.twitter.com/TCj3NDqASp

— ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2026

Modi also spoke to the wife and parents of Machchhar and applauded his bravery that saved hundreds of lives. The flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had transmitted emergency signals on Wednesday and made a sharp descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk city. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
In his statement, Netanyahu had said that an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began descending, after which the passenger and a crew member managed to break into the cockpit and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems.