Smit Machchhar: Who is the Indian flydubai pilot hailed a ‘hero’

Indian pilot Smit Machchhar | Photo Credit: Israel Foreign Ministry

Captain Smit Machchhar has been hailed as a “hero” by leaders across the globe, including President Droupadi Murmi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump, after an act of bravery on board the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight staved off a major air crash and saved the lives of 174 passengers, including 27 children.

On September 30, 2026, the Indian pilot was stabbed by his co-pilot mid-air in an attempt to crash the plane. Passengers and crew helped Mr Machchhar avoid what could have been a major disaster. The motive behind the co-pilot stabbing Mr. Machchhar and causing the flight scare is being ascertained by authorities.

Who is Smit Machhar?

Captain Smit Machchhar joined the aviation industry with SpiceJet in June 2011 and worked for over 11 years, before joining flydubai as a captain in 2022, where has now worked for more than four years, as per his LinkedIn profile.

A Reuters report adds that Mr Machchhar, who has logged nearly 9,750 flying hours in his career, found aviation relatively late.