NEW DELHI: Captain Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed by his Omani co-pilot onboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv flydubai flight, spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on video call and said he was reciting the Hanuman Chalisa during the terrifying moment. While recalling the attack, the hero captain said that despite his serious injuries, he realised he had to get up and act or he would be dead.
During the call on Friday, PM Modi praised the pilot’s courage, presence of mind and composure, telling him that the entire country was praying for him.
During the attack on Wednesday, the 39-year-old pilot, despite being seriously injured, fought back and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene and avert a tragedy.
He has earned praise at home and abroad for his heroic efforts that helped save hundreds of lives.
Machchhar is currently undergoing treatment in the UAE. He was moved a day after being admitted to a hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the flydubai flight, carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members, landed following the incident.
During the conversation with the Prime Minister, he became emotional and said that it was a very special moment for him.
“You are my biggest idol, and I feel very, very proud that you are encouraging me by calling me like this. I had suffered so many injuries, but I told myself that I had to get up and act. At that moment, I was fighting for my life. I had fallen down, but I realised that if I did not get up, I would be dead,” he told PM Modi as he recounted the attack.
“I have been flying for over 17 years and have been a captain for the last 11 years, so I could understand what was happening on the plane even with my eyes closed. I knew I had to make that last push. I pushed myself to open the cockpit door, and once I did, everyone else came in. Everyone played an equal role in what happened.”
During the interaction, Smit shared that whenever he finds himself in difficulty, he recites the Hanuman Chalisa. He said he was reciting it during Wednesday’s attack as well.
PM Modi told the pilot that he even spoke to his mother, Geeta, and said she had raised him with the values and teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.
The Prime Minister told Smit that the country could proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their own lives to save others.
“This is a jihadist terrorist attack,” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on the flydubai incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Omani co-pilot a “terrorist”. But for Israel to substantiate the claims, the Jewish nation will need to thoroughly investigate the incident and interrogate the co-pilot. That access has now become a possibility with the co-pilot being handed over by Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
While Israel doesn’t have formal ties with Saudi Arabia, it has developed a warm relationship with the UAE. The UAE signed the Abraham Accords in 2020, recognising the Jewish state. Oman, the country to which the co-pilot belongs, doesn’t recognise Israel and has no formal ties with it.
The Omani co-pilot on September 30 attacked the Indian Captain of flydubai Flight FZ1073, Smit Machchhar, and allegedly tried to crash the plane with 174, mostly Israelis, onboard. Despite being wounded, the Indian pilot fought back and opened the cockpit door. The flight, intended for Tel Aviv, landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
To investigate the matter in its entirety, access to the co-pilot and the recording devices in the cockpit is a must. Till the Omani co-pilot was in Saudi Arabia, Israel could have had no access to him. However, things changed with Riyadh handing the co-pilot to Abu Dhabi.
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