India
Modi phones stabbed flydubai captain Smit Machchhar
Hindustan Times··2 Oct
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke Friday with Indian captain Smit Machchhar, stabbed by his co-pilot on flydubai flight FZ1073. Machchhar described the Dubai to Tel Aviv incident; Modi praised his courage and wished recovery. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 carried 174 passengers before an emergency landing in Tabuk. Envoy Deepak Mittal said Machchhar is recovering well in the UAE.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Machchhar's parents Upendra and Gita travelled to the UAE; wife Sonal and their two children are with him.
- India's UAE mission says it is coordinating medical care with local authorities in Abu Dhabi.
- Flight-tracking data cited a drop of more than 14,000 feet in less than a minute before the diversion.
What's Happening
- Despite serious wounds, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit so passengers and crew could overpower the attacker.
- Modi had earlier told a UPSC centenary event that the pilot helped avert a 9/11-style tragedy.
- President Droupadi Murmu and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also publicly praised Machchhar.
Who The Captain Is
- Machchhar has more than a decade of flying experience and previously worked with SpiceJet.
- He trained as a pilot in New Zealand before joining Flydubai.
- Israeli officials identify the co-pilot as an Omani national who has not been publicly named.
all-news
