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Indian pilot Smit Machchhar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he opened the cockpit door of a Flydubai plane while being attacked by his co-pilot to stop the rapid descent and save lives. During the incident, which occurred on a flight bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai, Machchhar was injured but managed to open the door from inside, allowing others to assist in regaining control of the aircraft before it safely landed in Saudi Arabia.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled multiple emergency alerts while flying over Jordan, leading it to divert to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets due to initial fears of a hijacking. However, Israeli officials later reported that the incident was caused by a fight between the pilots and not a security threat. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, held emergency consultations regarding the diversion. The plane landed safely with all passengers unharmed; it carried around 150 people, mostly Israelis.
Written for “Israel Bound Flight Diverted” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 283 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar has said he opened the cockpit door of the Israel-bound Flydubai plane to allow passengers to come in and halt its rapid descent.
asserted
passengers → publish → descent
In a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Capt Machchhar said he was on the ground and still being attacked by his co-pilot when he realised the plane was sinking and he had to do something.
asserted
he → say → something
"I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside," he said.
asserted
he → lie → door
"Others came in and also played a role [in controlling the situation].
asserted
Others → come → situation
I was of course fighting for my own life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die," he added.
asserted
he → fight → time
Machchhar was attacked by another pilot onboard a flight bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai, forcing the plane to divert to Saudi Arabia.
asserted
Machchhar → attack → Arabia
The plane plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two hours into its journey on Wednesday, before passengers and crew overpowered the attacker and retook control to land safely.
asserted
passengers → plunge → control
Modi told the captain that "his courage, patience and quick decision-making saved the lives of so many people" and the whole country was proud of him.
asserted
country → tell → him
The captain, who has also been hailed as a "true hero" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was taken initially to a hospital in Tabuk, a city in north-western Saudi Arabia.
asserted
who → hail → Arabia
He was later airlifted to Abu Dhabi where he is reported to be in a stable condition.
asserted
he → airlift → condition
The Indian embassy in the UAE on Thursday said Machchhar was "in good health and recovering well".
asserted
Machchhar → say → health
Ambassador Deepak Mittal said he was "proud of Capt Smit for his bravery" and "very reassured" to meet him.
asserted
he → say → him
"I am not looking at this wound like a wound because that would make my recovery even more difficult," Machchhar said.
asserted
Machchhar → look → wound
"I am looking at it as a journey which is slowly going on and will take time but I am confident that the recovery will be there and I will become fit and healthy again."
asserted
I → look → time
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