"Indians risk their lives to save others": PM Modi in conversation with flydubai hero pilot Smit Machchhar

Captain Smit Machchhar in a video call with PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 2 October 2026, held a video call with Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who saved flydubai flight FZ1073 after an attack in the cockpit.

Modi praised the captain's courage, presence of mind and composure, saying the entire country had been praying for his recovery. He said Indians are not people who take lives but people willing to risk their own to save others. Modi also credited Machchhar's mother, Geeta Ben, for raising him with Bhagavad Gita values.

An emotional Machchhar called the PM his biggest idol and the call a proud, unexpected moment. He said he recited the Hanuman Chalisa through the ordeal.

On 30 September, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 left Dubai for Tel Aviv with about 174 passengers and 6 crew. Roughly two hours in, over northern Saudi Arabia, the Omani first officer stabbed Machchhar and tried to take control of the aircraft. The plane dropped sharply and transmitted emergency codes 7700 and 7500.

Despite serious injuries, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door. Passengers and crew, including off-duty pilots, restrained the co-pilot. The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with no passenger fatalities.

Machchhar, 39, is from Ghatkopar, Mumbai, and is a former SpiceJet captain who joined flydubai in 2022. He is recovering in a UAE hospital. UAE authorities are investigating the motive, and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have also called him a hero.