Stabbed flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar is Indian national, worked with SpiceJet earlier

Indian-origin pilot Smit Machchhar has gained widespread attention after a violent incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Boeing 737, operated as flight FZ1073, was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following the confrontation. Machchhar, the captain of the aircraft, was stabbed during the incident, but managed to survive and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Israeli media reports suggest that the altercation involved a pilot allegedly attacking the other with a knife, prompting passengers and off-duty pilots to intervene and restrain the attacker. The incident prompted Israeli authorities to scramble fighter jets and the flight was diverted to Tabuk Airport. Machchhar, who has over 13 years of commercial flying experience primarily with Boeing 737 aircraft, is currently a Direct Entry Captain at Flydubai.

Before joining Flydubai, he worked for SpiceJet in India for more than 11 years, accumulating over 9,500 flying hours. The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated by authorities, with details of the identities and nationalities of the pilots involved yet to be confirmed by Flydubai.