Flydubai captain seriously wounded by his copilot identified as Indian national

The flydubai captain who was attacked by his copilot while flying a plane full of Israelis has been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar.

Machchhar was stabbed by his copilot, who is said to be an Omani national.

Machchhar lives in Dubai and has 13 years of experience as a pilot, including over four with flydubai, The Times of India reports.

After being attacked by his copilot, who allegedly tried to hijack and crash the plane, Machchhar was treated by Dr. Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist on board.

نصلّي من أجل الشفاء التام والعاجل للطيار الهندي سميث ماتشهار، الذي ساهم بشجاعته في إحباط الهجوم على طائرة فلاي دبي المتجهة إلى إسرائيل ????????????????

Praying for the full and speedy recovery of Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who bravely helped avert the attack on the Flydubai flight bound… pic.twitter.com/wEdn6PyOEc

— Lorena Khateeb | لورينا خطيب (@kh_lorena) September 30, 2026