Smit Machchhar (born ) is an Indian commercial pilot who, while working as the captain of Flydubai Flight 1073, was attacked by first officer Hamam al-Hammami in the cockpit. Machchhar received life-threatening injuries in the attack, but managed to open the cockpit door from the inside, allowing crew and passengers to intervene and subdue the attacker. The airplane then safely made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with no fatalities.
Before joining Flydubai, Machchhar worked at SpiceJet for 11 years and has previous experience flying the Boeing 737. He initially received his flight training at Mainland Air Flight School in New Zealand. Prior to entering flight school, Machchhar had thought he would enter his family's business and studied textile engineering and management at the Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research.
After sustaining trauma from the attack, he was treated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia and then flown by air medical services to another hospital in the United Arab Emirates. He received a well wishing visit from the Ambassador of India, and was reunited with his family. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi first contacted his family, and then arranged to have a phone call with Machchhar as well while he was recuperating in hospital.
For his actions on Flight 1073, the Government of Gujarat recognised Machchhar with the Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award. The Harmony Foundation nominated him for their Mother Teresa Award. Indian Member of Parliament of the upper house known as Rajya Sabha, Sun Foundation Chairman Vikramjit Singh Sahney, created the "Smit Machchhar Bravery Award" in his honour. The United States House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan resolution honouring Machchhar for his actions.
Early life and education Originally from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Machchhar is a Gujarati Hindu. His family and friends call him by the nickname Smit Mac. His family worked in the textile industry, and as a child he assumed he would join the family business. He first enrolled in and completed a textile engineering course of study. After the textile engineering program, Machchhar studied management at the Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research.
Machchhar attended a seminar on the airline industry when he was 19, resulting in a desire to pursue flying. In 2008, Machchhar spent 18 months in Dunedin, New Zealand, doing flight training at Mainland Air out of Dunedin Airport. Captain Dhaval Patel, a fellow pilot and friend who trained with him in New Zealand, said Machchhar was very knowledgeable when teaching and mentoring others. Mainland Air stated he was accomplished academically and was prominent among his peers. Mainland Air CEO Philip Kean recalled Machchhar was constantly happy to be learning during his time in flight school, and worked diligently to achieve in his studies. After completing his training, Machchhar returned to India to work as a pilot.
Career
According The Wall Street Journal, Machchhar started his flying career at the Indian airline SpiceJet. He rose to Senior Commander and later became a Line Training Captain. The profile reports he had logged nearly 9,750 hours on the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9 aircraft with SpiceJet. He was hired by Flydubai in 2022. Noteworthy experiences of Machchhar's prior to Flight 1073 include a difficult landing in Greece, piloting through monsoon turbulence, and an in-flight birth.
Machchhar said he knew early on in his professional flying experience that he wanted to pilot Boeing airplanes. He said the first aircraft he flew was built by Boeing, and he had stayed with Boeing planes throughout his subsequent career.
Machchhar is also an instructor at Fly By Aviation, a private flight school.
Flydubai Flight 1073 Actions as Captain
On 30 September 2026, Machchhar was the captain of Flydubai Flight 1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers and six crew members on board. Roughly two and a half hours into the flight, after first reaching 34,000 feet, the plane began rapidly losing altitude. Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot with the crash axe kept in the cockpit, in an attempt to nosedive the plane. Although badly injured, Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to subdue the co-pilot. Passengers further stopped the airplane's rapid descent.
By the time he was able to open the cockpit door, Machchhar had already lost a great deal of blood and had collapsed. Passenger Shota Musaev, a dentist, assisted in the treatment of his injuries. Musaev stated that Machchhar told him he had two children and did not want to die. He had incurred significant haemorrhaging, according to Musaev, who was unsure if they would land in time to save his life. Machchhar told Prime Minister Modi that he recited the Hindu devotional hymn, Hanuman Chalisa, while he was being attacked by his co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami.
Two relief pilots onboard were able to reach the cockpit and stabilize the plane, and made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Medical treatment Both original pilot Machchhar and his co-pilot were taken to hospital. Emergency doctors discovered Machchhar had suffered a depressed skull fracture from the attack; he underwent surgery and was brought to stable condition. After his medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, he was taken by air medical services to the United Arab Emirates for further treatment. His family flew from India to be with him. Two separate GoFundMe fundraisers were set up to support Machchhar's family, and his medical expenses. The day after the incident, the campaigns had raised a total of US$80,000.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called Machchhar a courageous saviour, and said he saved the lives of 174 people. This praise was echoed by the Embassy of India in Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi personally reached out to the wife and parents of Machchhar. Modi told the family that he was keeping the health and safe recovery of Machchhar in his prayers. Modi stated that during ongoing threat to his own life and while experiencing serious injuries, Machchhar displayed bravery while concerned to assist the lives of his passengers. The Prime Minister noted Machchhar averted deaths of hundreds and prevented a disaster from occurring. Modi said the pilot had displayed calm and collected actions under pressure. He stated the captain's actions averted a disaster similar to the September 11 attacks from being successfully carried out on his airplane. Speaking for the people of India, Modi emphasised he felt that Machchhar's courage inspired the Indian people with honour.
Dignitary outreach
While in hospital in the United Arab Emirates, Machchhar received a phone call from Indian Prime Minister Modi. Machchhar was heartened by the call, telling Modi he felt pride that the Prime Minister had reached out to him at that time, and he looked up to Modi as his role model. Machchhar explained to Modi he had been fighting to survive in the cockpit of his airplane. The Prime Minister's office publicly released video of the phone call interaction between the Indian leader and the pilot on 2 October 2026. Machchhar explained how he struggled to get help and open the cockpit door as he was being attacked. He told Modi that he was motivated both to save his own life, and the lives of everyone on board his aircraft. He said his 17 years of flying experience helped him act in the emergency situation. Machchhar stated he felt a duty to respond, but he fell to the floor from his injuries and could sense the airplane was rapidly descending in altitude. He explained to Modi the difficulty in summoning the energy to open the cockpit door to request help. He said as he was attempting to open the cockpit door, his co-pilot was simultaneously assaulting him. Prime Minister Modi also spoke to Machchhar in Gujarati (in addition to Hindi), as both are originally from the state of Gujarat in the West of India. Modi spoke on behalf of the Indian people, encouraging Machchhar to make a full recovery and that the entire country was supporting his healing process. The Prime Minister told the pilot his example illustrated the importance of saving lives to the Indian people, over and above harming others.
Crown Prince of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum visited Machchhar while in hospital in his country. He said he represented the governmental leadership of the country in praising Machchhar for his actions. The Crown Prince stated he felt pride at having Machchhar serving as a pilot within his country. He said Machchhar represented the values of the UAE in emphasising humanity, peace, and kindness.
Machchhar had a call from his hospital bed with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 3 October 2026. He told the Prime Minister new information about how he was attacked on the plane. He said Hamam al-Hammami had gotten up two hours into the flight to pray, which Machchhar regarded as a routine activity. Machchhar then felt himself being struck in the back of the head, and began to lose his ability of vision from the assault. He said his flight attendants in his crew were trying to input the door code to enter the cockpit during the assault, but the assailant was not allowing them to utilize the entry code to gain access to help the captain.
Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Deepak Mittal, released a statement that the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, held a special prayer session for Machchhar's healing and recovery from his injuries. The group consisted of expatriate devotees and swamis from India that were living in Abu Dhabi. Mittal said that Machchhar was recovering well from being attacked by his co-pilot, and thanked the community for their support of the flight captain. He said the Indian Embassy in Dubai was monitoring Machchhar's situation, and relaying support to his family. Mittal met personally with Machchhar while the pilot was in hospital in Dubai. He was receiving advanced and specialized medical care in the UAE, over and above that previously received in Saudi Arabia, in coordination with the government of India.
Personal life and family Machchhar lives in Dubai with his spouse Sonal Machchhar and two children. They moved to Dubai for his role with Flydubai.
Awards and honours India
For his heroism on Flydubai Flight 1073, Machchhar was awarded the Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award by the Government of Gujarat. The award was announced by Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendrabhai Patel. Patel said the award recognised his bravery and calm demeanor under an emergency.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) wrote to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in a letter from 2 October 2026, requesting Machchhar be given a National Bravery Award. The pilots body explained to the Prime Minister they requested the award due to the high level of bravery and professional demeanor exhibited by their fellow colleague. Captain C. S. Randhawa, president of the FIP, asked Prime Minister Modi to investigate the attack against Machchhar, review operations documents and his healthcare reports, and then come to a determination as to the type of award given.
Indian Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and Sun Foundation Chairman Vikramjit Singh Sahney, publicised an award on 3 October 2026 to Machchhar. Sahney declared a "Smit Machchhar Bravery Award" for Machchhar's courageous actions while under threat of his life while being attacked in his cockpit on the flight to Tel Aviv out of Dubai. The award came with a monetary prize of 25 lakh Indian rupees (US$). Sahney said the monetary portion of the award would use Machchhar's name to help budding young flight captains to receive scholarships for flight training school.