Netanyahu Praises Indian Pilot for Saving 174 Lives on Flydubai Flight

MOSCOW, Oct. 1: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his bravery after he was injured during an in-flight altercation aboard a Flydubai flight carrying 174 passengers and crew.

The Flydubai aircraft, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, declared an emergency on Wednesday and later made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. According to the airline, a fight broke out between the pilots during the flight.

Netanyahu, in a post on X, commended Captain Machchhar for his actions despite sustaining serious injuries. He said the pilot fought back against the attacker, regained access to the cockpit and helped enable passengers and crew to overpower the assailant, averting what could have been a catastrophic incident.

“My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery,” Netanyahu said.

He added that Machchhar’s actions helped save the lives of all 174 people on board, including Israeli and other foreign nationals.