Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, was moved from Saudi Arabia to a hospital in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had averted a “9/11-style tragedy” and leaders in India and Israel praised his courage.
Machchhar, 40, who was seriously wounded in Wednesday’s attack, is “in good health and recovering well”, India’s ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, said after visiting him and his family in hospital.
“Very reassured to meet Capt Smit. Thank the UAE government for their support and medical care being extended,” Mittal said in a post on X.
Deep Dive
What happened to Captain Smit Machchhar on the Flydubai flight?
How did Captain Machchhar contribute to the safety of passengers on the flight?
Why is Captain Smit Machchhar being hailed as a hero?
Despite his wounds, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door of flight FZ-1073, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. A reserve crew on board then flew the Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying 174 people, to an emergency landing at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia.
{{/usCountry}}Despite his wounds, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door of flight FZ-1073, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. A reserve crew on board then flew the Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying 174 people, to an emergency landing at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia.
{{/usCountry}}Israeli officials said on Thursday that no motive had been established and that their initial assessment was that the co-pilot, an Omani national who has not been named, acted alone.
Also Read | India hails ‘hero’ who averted flight crash
Addressing a function in New Delhi to mark the centenary of the Union Public Service Commission, Modi said Machchhar had shown “remarkable patience, presence of mind, and courage”.
“Indeed, as the Prime Minister of Israel stated today, an Indian prevented a 9/11-style tragedy,” Modi said. He was referring to the September 11, 2001, attacks, in which hijacked airliners were flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.
Hours earlier, Modi spoke to Machchhar’s wife and parents, officials aware of the matter told HT, asking not to be named. He told them Indian missions were providing all possible help to the passengers and crew.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an amazing act of heroism — of his, of the Indian pilot, of the people who helped them. They stopped a disaster that could have been global.” Netanyahu also praised an Israeli passenger who helped subdue the attacker.
President Droupadi Murmu said: “The nation is proud of Captain Smit Machchhar. His heroic courage and incredible presence of mind have deeply touched us all.” Politicians across parties posted messages of praise and wishes for his recovery.
On Wednesday night, the Indian embassy in Riyadh said Machchhar had been admitted to a hospital in Tabuk and was in stable condition. He underwent surgery there, people aware of the matter said. He was moved to the UAE a day later. The Indian mission in the UAE said it remained in close coordination with local authorities on his care.
Two Israeli security officials said Israel’s initial assessment was that the co-pilot was likely acting alone, though the investigation was continuing, Reuters reported.
Netanyahu said the attacker was being investigated in Saudi Arabia and that he believed he would be taken to the UAE.
Israel’s envoy to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, told Reuters it was too early to draw conclusions. Another Israeli official said Israel was not receiving all the information it sought from the Saudis, and that its intelligence agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet, were also investigating. Saudi Arabia’s government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 and ADS-B Exchange, analysed by HT, show the jet was cruising at 34,000 feet over Saudi Arabia when it began to descend at 8.21am Saudi time (10.51am IST), about 235km north-east of Tabuk.
Between two readings 37 seconds apart, it fell from 33,225 feet to 18,925 feet, a rate of about 23,000 feet a minute. An airliner descending normally would take about seven minutes to lose that much height. The plane later transmitted the transponder code for a hijacking, and it crossed briefly into Jordan before turning back.
Photographs of the aircraft at Tabuk appear to show the rudder torn from its tail, damage that can occur when control surfaces are moved too hard at high speed. HT could not independently verify the photographs.
In Mumbai, residents of Swastik Heights, the housing society in Tilak Nagar, Chembur, where Machchhar’s parents live, gathered in the compound on Thursday afternoon to cheer the pilot and call for a civilian honour for him.
“We are so proud that Smit saved so many lives,” said his uncle, Kishor Machchhar. Vipul Mehta, a family friend, promised a “grand felicitation” when the pilot returns to Mumbai.
His parents, Upendra and Gita, left for Dubai on Thursday morning to join his wife, Sonal, and the couple’s two children.
Some American media outlets called him the “Indian Sully”, after Chesley Sullenberger, the US Airways captain who glided his crippled jet onto the Hudson River in New York in 2009 after birds knocked out both engines.
Machchhar’s family is originally from Rajkot in Gujarat. He grew up in Ghatkopar East, a largely Gujarati middle-class neighbourhood where the family runs a printing press, and studied at the MD Bhatia and Gurukul schools before studying management at the Welingkar Institute. He trained as a pilot in New Zealand.