Quick decision-maker, soft-spoken: Smit Machchhar's friend praises flydubai pilot

Dr Jeenit Shah praised flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar after the Dubai-Tel Aviv cockpit attack. He said Machchhar's quick decisions and calm temperament helped save scores of lives.

In Short

• Dr Jeenit Shah has known Machchhar for about 15 years
• He described the pilot as pure-hearted, talented and notably soft-spoken
• Shah said Machchhar has always been a quick and calm decision-maker

Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar’s bravery in fighting off his Omani co-pilot after being stabbed on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and helping prevent a possible crash has earned him widespread praise globally. Among those applauding his actions was Machchhar’s Mumbai friend, who said the Indian pilot's quick thinking, experience and calm nature helped save scores of lives.

Dr Jinit Shah, speaking to Aaj Tak, India Today’s sister channel, described Machchhar as a tremendously talented, pure-hearted and soft-spoken person who has always been quick to make decisions.

“He is a tremendously talented person from the very beginning. He is an extremely pure-hearted person and soft-spoken. He is a fast decision-maker and that is why I think it helped him yesterday,” said Dr Shah, who has been a friend of Machchhar for 15 years.

Machchhar is of Gujarati origin and a resident of Mumbai. He moved to Dubai with his family around two to three years ago. Dr Shah said although he was not much in touch with Machchhar, he continued to know him for the person he is. “He is a very experienced pilot and has been flying for 15 years. His experience also helped him yesterday,” he said.

Machchhar has served as a captain on flydubai’s Boeing 737 fleet since June 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. His profile lists 9,750 flying hours on the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 and 9.

Before joining flydubai, Machchhar spent 11 years with SpiceJet in Mumbai. He served as a senior commander and later became a line training captain in November 2020, a role that involved training and assessing other pilots. His profile also lists more than 6,400 hours as a pilot-in-command at SpiceJet.

Dr Shah believes that experience, including Machchhar’s work training other pilots, may have played a role in how he responded when the cockpit descended into chaos.

“He has an academy where he trains a lot of new pilots. I think what he did yesterday was muscle memory. He had that in him – that in such kinds of situations, how to deal with it,” he said.

“He was quite sharp in acting on what was supposed to be done at that time. I think he is solely responsible for saving so many lives,” he added.

WHAT HAPPENED ON FLYDUBAI FLIGHT?

Machchhar was captaining flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv when he was involved in a violent confrontation with his Omani co-pilot inside the cockpit. Machchhar was stabbed by the co-pilot, who was suspected of attempting to sabotage the aircraft and crash it. Israeli passengers and a crew member subsequently intervened and helped overpower the attacker.

During the brawl, the aircraft transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent of more than 17,000 feet from around 34,000 feet before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.

Videos circulating on social media showed Machchhar drenched in blood, wearing an oxygen mask and lying on his back in the aircraft’s galley.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the captain had helped save all 174 people on board and wished Machchhar a “speedy and full recovery”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump also praised the Indian pilot, calling him as a “hero”.

Machchhar underwent surgery after the incident and was reported to be stable at a hospital in Tabuk. Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot following the incident.

MACHCHHAR'S FRIEND HOPES FOR RECOGNITION OF HIS ACT

For Dr Shah, the global praise for his friend is deeply personal. He said he has not been in touch with Machchhar’s parents since the incident and believes the family is still coming to terms with what happened.

“They are also worried about Smit right now. The last I spoke, his condition was critical. So I hope he is doing well right now and has recovered,” Shah said.

He hoped that his friend got the recognition he deserved.

“It will take some time for his family to come out of the shock, but I think he should be awarded or made sure that he gets the credit for this,” he further said.

- Ends