FlyDubai pilot Smit Machchhar who avoided a bigger disaster, undergoes surgery after cockpit stabbing
Machchhar underwent surgery and is currently in stable condition, FlyDubai and the Indian authorities are in touch wiht his family
Captain Smit Machchhar was wounded when his Omani co-pilot stabbed him in an attempt to hijack and crash FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday.
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Machchhar has been hospitalised in Saudi Arabia along with his co-pilot and attacker. Machchhar underwent surgery and is currently in stable condition.
The attack led the plane to plunge more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal.
Machchhar was able to unlock the cockpit door allowing passengers to subdue the copilot and help Machchhar safely land the plane following the stabbing.
FlyDubai is in touch with his family and Indian authorities in the UAE and will issue a statement after studying the cockpit voice recorder.
The Indian government has extended all possible support to Machchhar and has reached out to the UAE and Saudi governments.
Machchhar has been a pilot for about 15 years and previously flew for Indian airliner SpiceJet before beginning at FlyDubai in 2022.
Machchhar recorded 9,750 flight hours, according to his LinkedIn profile, and has flown Boeing 737 variants throughout his career.
He was initially misidentified as Emirati by Israeli officials on the ground in Saudi Arabia after the landing.
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