Israeli PM hails Indian pilot wounded in diverted flydubai flight
Netanyahu said Mr. Machchhar saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, who was injured during an incident on a diverted Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Prime Minister called Machchhar a "true hero" for resisting the co-pilot, who was allegedly trying to crash the aircraft, despite being stabbed and seriously hurt.
Machchhar successfully opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, thereby averting a potential mid-air disaster. The flight, which had 174 passengers on board, including Israeli citizens and others, transmitted emergency signals and made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Tabuk.
Machchhar, a 13-year veteran of commercial flying with over 9,500 hours of experience, joined Flydubai as a captain in June 2022 after working with SpiceJet for 11 years prior.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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