Who Is Capt. Smit Machchhar? Indian Pilot Named Hero After Flydubai Cockpit Attack; Co-Pilot’s Identity Still Withheld
Capt. Smit Machchhar Identified as Flydubai Hero Pilot; Omani Co-Pilot Name Still Unreleased | 17GEN4 News
DUBAI / TABUK — The captain who fought off an alleged midair attack on Flydubai Flight FZ1073 has been identified as Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national and veteran Boeing 737 commander. Israeli and Indian officials have praised him as the pilot who opened the cockpit door while seriously wounded, enabling passengers and crew to stop what authorities in Jerusalem describe as an attempt to crash the Tel Aviv-bound jet. The co-pilot accused in the attack has been identified only as an Omani national; his name has not been publicly released.
Machchhar, of Gujarati origin and described as a native of Mumbai, joined Flydubai in June 2022 as a direct-entry captain on the Boeing 737 fleet and is based in Dubai. Before that he spent about 11 years with Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet, from June 2011 until 2022. At SpiceJet he served as a senior commander and, from November 2020, as a line training captain responsible for training, checking, and mentoring other pilots on live routes. A former SpiceJet colleague told PTI he was “a good person.”
His professional profile lists roughly 9,750 flying hours exclusively on Boeing 737-family aircraft, including the 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 and 9, with more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command. He has about 13 to 15 years of commercial flying experience and holds a business administration degree from Mumbai’s Welingkar Institute of Management. His listed expertise includes crew resource management, flight standards, safety and compliance, and operations on both 737 NG and MAX types. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him a “true hero” of “extraordinary bravery,” saying that despite being stabbed and seriously injured he “fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.” Machchhar was hospitalized in Tabuk after the emergency landing and was later reported in stable condition.
The co-pilot’s full name has not been confirmed by Flydubai, UAE, Saudi, or Omani authorities. Israeli officials identified him as an Omani national who had worked for Flydubai for about nine months, or less than a year. Video from the cabin showed the attacker wearing first-officer epaulettes (three stripes). He was detained by Saudi authorities after the aircraft landed at Tabuk. Investigators in Israel are examining how an Omani crew member was assigned to an Israel-bound flight, given that Oman and Israel have no diplomatic relations, and whether dual citizenship or screening gaps played a role. Flydubai has not released biographical details and has urged against premature speculation while a formal investigation continues. Early media reports that the crew were Russian and Ukrainian, or that the captain was Emirati, have not been substantiated; later reporting converged on Machchhar as the Indian captain and an unnamed Omani first officer as the alleged attacker.
Two additional Flydubai pilots were traveling as passengers because possible regional rerouting could have pushed the original crew past duty-hour limits. After the cockpit was secured, members of that reserve crew helped stabilize and land the Boeing 737 MAX 8. All 174 people on board were accounted for; no passengers were reported seriously injured.
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Capt. Smit Machchhar Identified as Flydubai Hero Pilot; Omani Co-Pilot Name Still Unreleased | 17GEN4 News
Who is Capt. Smit Machchhar? Indian Flydubai captain, ex-SpiceJet trainer with 9,750 Boeing 737 hours, stabbed on FZ1073. Co-pilot named only as Omani national. Full background from 17GEN4.com.
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