He has been hailed a hero for opening the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower his co-pilot.
An Indian pilot who was attacked by his co-pilot on an Israel-bound Flydubai plane has received a call in his hospital bed from India PM Narendra Modi. Visibly emotional, Capt Smit Machchhar said he fought back because he could not allow everyone on the flight to die. He has been hailed a hero for opening the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the attacker.
The flight, which had departed from Dubai, landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
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‘I was fighting for my life’: Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls flydubai cockpit attack
theguardian.com
02.10.2026
‘I was fighting for my life’: Pilot hailed as hero recalls FlyDubai cockpit attack
abcnews.com
02.10.2026
Trump vows to hit Iran 'very hard' if linked to flydubai pilot stabbing attack
euronews.com
02.10.2026
Live: FlyDubai suspends flights to and from Israel after pilot attack
france24.com
01.10.2026
Netanyahu meets Flydubai passenger who subdued pilot in stabbing attack
aljazeera.com
30.09.2026
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