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SpiceJet CMD: Smit Machchhar Showed 'Real Courage' Opening Cockpit Door After Stabbing
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CNBC TV18•01-10-2026, 14:55
SpiceJet CMD: Smit Machchhar Showed 'Real Courage' Opening Cockpit Door After Stabbing
- •SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh stated former pilot Smit Machchhar displayed immense courage to open the cockpit door after being stabbed during a flydubai flight incident.
- •Machchhar, captain of flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was allegedly stabbed during a mid-air altercation.
- •The aircraft, carrying 174 passengers, transmitted emergency codes 7700 and 7500 before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- •Machchhar is in stable condition and receiving treatment in a Tabuk hospital, with the Indian Embassy and Consulate monitoring his condition.
- •Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump praised Machchhar's actions, crediting him with saving 174 lives.
Key Questions Answered
Captain Smit Machchhar was allegedly stabbed by the co-pilot during a mid-air altercation aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, leading to a diversion to Saudi Arabia after the aircraft transmitted emergency codes.
SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh stated that Machchhar would have needed real courage to reach across to the co-pilot's side—where the cockpit door handle is located—to open the door after being stabbed.
Captain Smit Machchhar is in a stable condition and is receiving necessary medical attention at a hospital in Tabuk city in northwest Saudi Arabia, with his health being monitored by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah.
