PM Modi Says Captain Machchhar’s Courage Protected Lives and Reputation of Indian Pilots
NEW DELHI— Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar for his actions during a mid-air attack on a flight bound for Tel Aviv, saying the Indian pilot’s courage helped avert a potentially catastrophic disaster and protected the reputation of Indian pilots.
Speaking to Machchhar via video call on Friday while the 39-year-old captain was undergoing treatment in the UAE, Modi said the consequences could have been very different had he been unable to respond to the crisis.
“Had this not happened, who knows what India would have had to face, what all Indian pilots would have had to endure, and how Indian pilots would have been viewed. You have saved everyone. You have done a very big thing,” Modi told him.
The Prime Minister said the incident also demonstrated the courage and values associated with Indians.
“The country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others,” he said.
Captain recalls ordeal
Machchhar was seriously injured after his Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked him during a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Despite suffering multiple injuries, the captain managed to respond to the attack and open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and help restrain the attacker.
The aircraft, which was carrying more than 170 people, was subsequently brought under control and landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
During his conversation with Modi, Machchhar recalled the ordeal and said he had been reciting the Hanuman Chalisa while attempting to deal with the situation.
“I had suffered so many injuries, but I told myself that I had to get up and act. If I did not, I would be dead,” he told the Prime Minister.
Social media debate
The incident has also generated considerable discussion on social media, including speculation about how responsibility might have been assigned had the aircraft crashed.
Some posts questioned whether the Indian captain could have faced scrutiny over the safety of the flight despite the circumstances of the incident. Modi did not directly refer to the social media discussion during his conversation with Machchhar.
The episode has also unfolded against the backdrop of continuing attention on the investigation into the 2025 Air India AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, which prompted widespread debate over pilot actions and accountability in aviation disasters.
Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad for London on June 12, 2025. Of the 242 people aboard, 241 were killed, while 19 people on the ground also died.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the Flydubai incident remains underway. The airline has temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel following the mid-air altercation.
For Machchhar, the incident has become a test of decision-making under extraordinary circumstances. His actions, according to Modi, not only helped protect those aboard the aircraft but also demonstrated the courage and sense of responsibility expected of pilots entrusted with the lives of hundreds of passengers. (Source: IANS)
