Flydubai captain Smit Macchhar once feared his first flight. Years later, he fought to save one
Smit Macchhar was the captain of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight carrying 174 passengers when his Omani co-pilot stabbed him and allegedly attempted to hijack and crash the aircraft
- Sep 30, 2026,
- Updated Sep 30, 2026 10:20 PM IST
Indian pilot Smit Macchhar, who reportedly fought off his co-pilot after being stabbed during a Flydubai flight on Wednesday, had once described himself as "a bit scared" when he first began flying.
Macchhar was the captain of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight carrying 174 passengers when his Omani co-pilot stabbed him and allegedly attempted to hijack and crash the aircraft.
The Indian pilot fought with him to prevent the aircraft from crashing, before the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Israeli passengers later helped subdue the co-pilot.
Read More: 'Pilot tried to crash the plane': Netanyahu shares dramatic details on Flydubai flight
Macchhar had spoken about his first experiences with flying in an October 2025 podcast conversation with Zalak Mehta.
"I went with a very clear mindset, but yes, a bit scared," he said.
Macchhar said becoming a pilot was never part of his childhood plans. "First of all unlike a lot of other aviators right now, aviation was not like a childhood dream," he said. "It came along much later in my life."
He was 19 when aviation caught his attention.
After school, Macchhar had joined a textile engineering course because it was connected to his family business. He completed the course and then enrolled in a management programme. It was during that course that he attended an aviation seminar.
"That's where I came across an aviation seminar during the course," he said. "That's where the aviation bug in a way."
The seminar introduced him to aviation in greater detail, and he found himself drawn to it. "This is something which I felt that I was attracted towards," he said.
Smit's first flight
Macchhar eventually went to New Zealand for his flying training. It was his first time leaving India. He had also barely travelled by air before that. He recalled having taken only a couple of domestic flights.
Before his first flight, someone told him: "Dar lagega, don't look out."
Smit's first flight was a familiarisation flight in a small aircraft as part of his training. His first commercial flight came later, during his training, when he flew from Bengaluru to Delhi. "That was scary," he said.
But the fear was not about the aircraft. It was about the responsibility of flying an airline aircraft while still under training and probation.
"There were a lot of mistakes made," he recalled, saying he was nervous and trying to stay ahead.
"At that stage, relaxing would have been the best option," he said. "Stressing is not going to help at least in this industry."
The senior examiners flying with him would stop him after an error and ask him to think about what had happened.
After about half an hour, he said, he began enjoying the flight. "But the first 30 minutes to an hour was scary," he said.
Macchhar is a Boeing 737 captain with flydubai, where he has worked as a Direct Entry Captain since June 2022.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and over 9,750 flying hours, including extensive experience on the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9.
Before joining flydubai, Macchhar spent about 11 years with SpiceJet in Mumbai, where he served as Senior Commander and Line Training Captain.
Indian pilot Smit Macchhar, who reportedly fought off his co-pilot after being stabbed during a Flydubai flight on Wednesday, had once described himself as "a bit scared" when he first began flying.
Macchhar was the captain of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight carrying 174 passengers when his Omani co-pilot stabbed him and allegedly attempted to hijack and crash the aircraft.
The Indian pilot fought with him to prevent the aircraft from crashing, before the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Israeli passengers later helped subdue the co-pilot.
Read More: 'Pilot tried to crash the plane': Netanyahu shares dramatic details on Flydubai flight
Macchhar had spoken about his first experiences with flying in an October 2025 podcast conversation with Zalak Mehta.
"I went with a very clear mindset, but yes, a bit scared," he said.
Macchhar said becoming a pilot was never part of his childhood plans. "First of all unlike a lot of other aviators right now, aviation was not like a childhood dream," he said. "It came along much later in my life."
He was 19 when aviation caught his attention.
After school, Macchhar had joined a textile engineering course because it was connected to his family business. He completed the course and then enrolled in a management programme. It was during that course that he attended an aviation seminar.
"That's where I came across an aviation seminar during the course," he said. "That's where the aviation bug in a way."
The seminar introduced him to aviation in greater detail, and he found himself drawn to it. "This is something which I felt that I was attracted towards," he said.
Smit's first flight
Macchhar eventually went to New Zealand for his flying training. It was his first time leaving India. He had also barely travelled by air before that. He recalled having taken only a couple of domestic flights.
Before his first flight, someone told him: "Dar lagega, don't look out."
Smit's first flight was a familiarisation flight in a small aircraft as part of his training. His first commercial flight came later, during his training, when he flew from Bengaluru to Delhi. "That was scary," he said.
But the fear was not about the aircraft. It was about the responsibility of flying an airline aircraft while still under training and probation.
"There were a lot of mistakes made," he recalled, saying he was nervous and trying to stay ahead.
"At that stage, relaxing would have been the best option," he said. "Stressing is not going to help at least in this industry."
The senior examiners flying with him would stop him after an error and ask him to think about what had happened.
After about half an hour, he said, he began enjoying the flight. "But the first 30 minutes to an hour was scary," he said.
Macchhar is a Boeing 737 captain with flydubai, where he has worked as a Direct Entry Captain since June 2022.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and over 9,750 flying hours, including extensive experience on the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9.
Before joining flydubai, Macchhar spent about 11 years with SpiceJet in Mumbai, where he served as Senior Commander and Line Training Captain.