{
  "id": 11107005,
  "title": "‘Aviation wasn’t a childhood dream’: What flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar said in old interview",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/aviation-wasnt-a-childhood-dream-what-flydubai-pilot-smit-machchhar",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T04:26:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/flydubai-smit-machchhar-old-interview-pilot-aviation-journey-10901720/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An old interview with pilot Smit Machchhar has resurfaced online following his role in averting a disaster on a flydubai flight heading to Israel on September 30. During the incident, Machchhar's co-pilot attempted to crash the plane. However, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot. The Indian pilot has been hailed as a hero by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump. Machchhar's journey into aviation is an interesting one, as he did not initially plan to become a pilot. In the podcast interview, Machchhar revealed that he had no intention of pursuing a career in aviation as a child. Instead, he expected to continue his family's textile business. After completing his management studies, Machchhar attended an aviation seminar that sparked his interest in the profession.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Times of Israel",
        "title": "Israel to expand security checks on pilots after flydubai airplane attack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/israel-to-expand-security-checks-on-pilots-after-flydubai-airplane",
        "published": "2026-09-30T19:26:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "flydubai suspends flights to Israel after FZ1073 'security incident'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/flydubai-suspends-flights-to-israel-after-fz1073-security-incident",
        "published": "2026-09-30T19:59:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Flydubai says flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/flydubai-says-flights-to-and-from-israel-will-be-suspended-while-the",
        "published": "2026-09-30T20:19:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Flydubai flights to Israel suspended amid investigation into attempted hijacking, airline says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/flydubai-flights-to-israel-suspended-amid-investigation-into",
        "published": "2026-09-30T20:26:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "What to know about the terrifying flydubai flight bound for Israel",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/what-to-know-about-the-terrifying-flydubai-flight-bound-for-israel",
        "published": "2026-09-30T22:12:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar hailed hero for averting disaster on Israel flight",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/flydubai-pilot-smit-machchhar-hailed-hero-for-averting-disaster-on",
        "published": "2026-10-01T00:45:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV",
        "title": "\"Showed Immense Courage\": PM Modi Praises flydubai's Pilot Smit Machchhar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/showed-immense-courage-pm-modi-praises-flydubais-pilot-smit-machchhar",
        "published": "2026-10-01T02:06:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}