Smith Machchar, the Indian pilot of Flydubai flight, spoke about the tense and dangerous moments he fought to save the passengers after the co-pilot's attack in the cockpit. He is receiving treatment in a hospital in Abu Dhabi and recently shared the details of the incident in a video call with Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India.
Fighting for survival
Machchar, with a bandaged head and medical tubes in his nose, was severely injured and was crying while recalling the incident. He said, "I had many injuries. I was lying on the ground." In those critical moments, he remembered how he fought for his life and realized that if he did not get up, the passengers would lose theirs.
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Details of the attack and reactions
According to reports, the co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife on Wednesday, severely injuring him. Despite his injuries, Machchar was able to open the cockpit so that passengers could enter and subdue the attacker. Meanwhile, the Boeing 737 rapidly lost altitude, dropping from nearly 10,000 meters to about 5,100 meters in about a minute.
Flydubai announced that another flight crew present on the same flight took control of the aircraft, and ultimately the plane was able to make an emergency landing in the city of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. This flight was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers, most of whom were Israeli.
After the incident, several political officials referred to Captain Machchar as a hero who prevented a disaster. Narendra Modi also called him a hero and praised his bravery.
Investigations and international repercussions
Officials from the United Arab Emirates have announced that they will investigate the incident. Saudi Arabia has also stated that the co-pilot, identified as an Omani citizen, was transferred to the country on Thursday (October 1st) with a security team from the UAE.
In Israel, many media outlets and some political officials described the incident as an attempt to crash the plane and referred to it as a failed terrorist attack. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, accused the co-pilot of having Islamist tendencies and, in response to questions about the possibility of Iranian involvement, stated that it is still too early for a definitive assessment.
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, also reacted to the incident, stating that he takes the possibility of Iranian involvement seriously and warned that if Iran's role in this incident is confirmed, the Islamic Republic will face severe consequences.
After the incident, several Israeli passengers remained in the UAE, waiting to return to Israel. El Al Airlines initially announced that it had postponed flights to bring back passengers. However, it was later reported that Israeli airlines had received permission to land in the UAE.
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