Netanyahu Calls Flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar a “Hero of India, Israel and the World” After Cockpit Attack Account
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the Indian flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar as a “hero of India, Israel and the world.” The remark came after the pilot recounted how he was repeatedly struck in the cockpit and still managed to open the door so that passengers could regain control of the aircraft.
On September 30, flight FZ1073 was on its way from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot attacked the captain and tried to seize control of the aircraft. Despite his injuries, Captain Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to intervene. The jet was diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with about 174 people on board.
Netanyahu said he wanted Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame at a national ceremony marking Israel’s Independence Day next May, an honour he said is usually reserved for Israeli citizens.
“I had that one last fight left in me”
In a conversation released by the Israeli leader’s office, Captain Smit told Netanyahu that the flight had begun normally. The co-pilot said he wanted to pray, which the captain said was not unusual among local crew. Out of respect, Captain Smit looked forward rather than towards the rear of the cockpit. After four or five minutes, he said, he felt a heavy “blow to the back of his head.”
His first thought was that the “aircraft had suffered catastrophic damage.” More blows followed, and he realised the attacker was the co-pilot in the cockpit. He tried to stop him, but the initial strikes left his vision almost completely blurred. He then felt the aircraft drop sharply. His recollection, he said, remained fragmentary.
#WATCH | “I want to have Captain Smit and Prime Minister Modi that are great friends; I really would like them to bear a celebratory flame. It’s the highest honor that we give on our Independence Day. It’s usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you. So we hope to see you very soon in Israel… I look forward to seeing you here again, but under the circumstances, I think this will be a memorable and historic visit,” says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar. (Source: Prime Minister of Israel/X)
— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2026
Captain Smit told the Israeli Prime Minister that he managed to open the cockpit door once, only for it to be shut again. He remembered lying on the floor, hearing the rush of air and passengers screaming. “I had that one last fight left in me,” he said. “If I don’t do it, I’m gonna die.” He pushed himself to the door, opened it and found people waiting outside who took control. “The rest is what you know, sir,” he said.
How the cockpit door was opened
Netanyahu asked how he had released the door. The captain explained that from inside, the door opens with a twist of a knob, while from outside it can be opened only with a code. Colleagues had tried to enter the code while the attacker prevented it. Reaching the knob and giving it a short twist was what mattered. “There is no pin,” he said.
Netanyahu’s praise and invitation
The Israeli Prime Minister called the account remarkable and said he was amazed by the captain’s courage and “coolness of judgment under impossible conditions.” He added that the response was being “justly hailed around the world” and had preserved “the spirit of the world.”
Netanyahu said he wanted to invite Captain Smit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame at Israel’s next Independence Day, an honour he said is normally reserved for Israeli citizens. “All the citizens of Israel will embrace you,” he said.