Netanyahu hails Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for foiling flydubai crash bid

Israel's prime minister praised Indian pilot Smit Machchhar after he helped stop an alleged cockpit attack on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv. The episode is being probed as a possible terrorist act and has sparked international praise for the crew and passengers.Image used for representational purposes onlyDubai,Oct 4, 2026 13:58 ISTIsrael Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Indian pilot Smit Machchhar a “hero of the entire world” for foiling an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound flydubai flight, in a phone call with the injured captain. Machchhar, 38, is being treated at a hospital in the UAE after he was attacked in the cockpit of flight FZ1073 while it was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.During the call on Saturday, Netanyahu invited Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day, calling it one of Israel’s highest honours. The UAE, which is leading the investigation, said on Saturday that its inquiry had found that the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a “terrorist act”.In a post on X, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said Netanyahu told Machchhar: “You are a hero for Israel, India, and the entire world. I invite Prime Minister @NarendraModi and you to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day.” Netanyahu also told him during the call: “It’s our highest honour 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.”According to a video clip of the conversation shared on social media, Netanyahu asked Machchhar how the attack began. Machchhar said the co-pilot had wanted to pray. “While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back, and suddenly, after, I would say about four-five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head,” he said. Machchhar said his first thought was that there had been catastrophic damage to the aircraft. “But then after that, the blows kept coming one after the other, and that’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me,” he said. He added that he tried to stop him, but “because of his initial blows, my vision was almost like nothing. And I was completely blurred out”.He said he then realised that the aircraft was “sharply going down” and that his memory of the incident remained “in bits and pieces”. He said he managed to open the cockpit door once, but the co-pilot shut it again, leaving him on the cockpit floor as he heard the aircraft and “people screaming”. “I had that one last fight left in me that, you know, call it personal or call it for people. But let’s say I did it, that if I don’t do it, I’m going to die,” he said. “And that’s when I pushed against everything. I gave everything that I had and just went for the door and opened the door. And thankfully, people were waiting to bounce back. [They] took over the control, and the rest is what you know, sir,” he added. Netanyahu told Machchhar he was “amazed” at his courage and his “coolness of judgment under impossible conditions”. He said: “You saved so many souls. I think you saved something bigger. You saved the spirit of the world... It’s something that is being justly hailed around the world. You’re a hero of Israel. You’re a hero of India. You’re a hero of the entire world.” He also said: “You know, I guess it’s a twist of fate, and a twist of faith, and what you did is remarkable. I heard, of course, from the Israeli passengers what transpired after that, and you’re a great hero, and you were accompanied by heroes, and you saved the day.”Reports by The Wall Street Journal and CNN identified the flydubai co-pilot as Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami. The reports, quoting people familiar with the matter, said he had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his radical ideological views. He allegedly attacked Machchhar with a crash axe kept in the cockpit for emergencies. The motive remains unclear.The flight was carrying 174 passengers and sent emergency signals after making a rapid descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet. According to the BBC, passengers overpowered the attacker after Machchhar made “one last push” to open the cockpit door while lying injured on the floor. Two reserve pilots then landed the aircraft safely at Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where al-Hammami was taken into custody.On Friday, Machchhar had also spoken to Prime Minister Modi and recounted the attack, saying he was fighting for his life but was determined not to let others die. The Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Saturday that he was in stable condition and “recovering well”. Netanyahu had earlier met four Israeli passengers who helped overpower the attacker and was told they tied the co-pilot with a headphone cable after he was subdued. He praised their “supreme heroism, resourcefulness, and faith” and said they too would light a torch of civic heroism on Israel’s Independence Day.In television interviews later in the week, Netanyahu said the injured pilot, passengers and crew had “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster”. He also said the attacker shouted “Kill me, kill me!” after being subdued, and added that the remark suggested he was suicidal and appeared to have intended to bring down the plane. The episode has now drawn messages of praise for Machchhar and the passengers, even as the UAE investigation continues.With PTI Inputs- Ends