Captain Smit Macchhar, an Indian pilot for Dubai-based airline Flydubai, recently garnered international attention for his heroic actions during a mid-air emergency. While at the controls of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, his co-pilot, an Omani national, allegedly stabbed him and attempted to crash the aircraft. Macchhar successfully fought back, enabling the plane to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with 174 passengers on board.
An Unlikely Path to the Cockpit
Despite his current profession, aviation was not a lifelong ambition for Captain Smit Macchhar. In an October 2025 podcast conversation with Zalak Mehta, Macchhar stated, "Aviation was not like a childhood dream. It came along much later in my life."
His journey began with a practical choice tied to his family's enterprise. After completing school, Macchhar enrolled in a textile engineering course, aligning with his family business. "I've actually joined a textile engineering course, which was my family business. I finished the entire course and was still young. So I wanted to do a little more studies," he recounted.
He then pursued a management course, aiming to further develop the family business. It was during this period, at the age of 19, that he attended an aviation seminar that unexpectedly sparked his interest.
"And that's where I came across an aviation seminar during the course. That's where the aviation bug (caught) in a way," Macchhar explained. "It was quite interesting for me. Not that my business wasn't...but this something really appealed, and this is something which I felt that I was attracted towards."
First Flights and Overcoming Nerves
Macchhar's pilot training took him to New Zealand, marking his first time leaving India. Having only experienced a couple of domestic flights before, he recalled being warned about potential fear during his initial training flight. "The first flight, I was told 'dar lagega, don't look out'," he said.
Despite his thorough research approach to new interests, online resources for aviation were scarce at the time. He approached his familiarisation flight with a clear mindset but admitted to being scared. This initial flight, in a small training aircraft, laid the groundwork for his eventual commercial career.
His first commercial flight, on a Bengaluru to Delhi route, brought a different kind of challenge: the immense responsibility. Still undergoing training and probation, flying alongside senior examiners led to moments of nervousness and errors. "There were a lot of mistakes made. Because the mistakes were because of me being nervous and I was trying to be ahead, but at that stage, relaxing would have been the best option," Macchhar reflected.
He credited his examiners for their guidance, who would stop him after errors and encourage him to process what happened. "Stressing is not going to help at least in this industry," he noted, adding that the experience became enjoyable once his senior examiner helped him settle in.
A Distinguished Career in Aviation
Today, Captain Smit Macchhar is a seasoned Boeing 737 captain with Flydubai, a role he took on in June 2022. His LinkedIn profile highlights over 13 years of commercial flying experience, accumulating more than 9,750 flight hours, including extensive time on the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9.
Before joining Flydubai, Macchhar spent approximately 11 years with SpiceJet in Mumbai, where he served as a Senior Commander and Line Training Captain. During his tenure at SpiceJet, he amassed over 9,500 flying hours, with 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command. His expertise spans crew resource management, flight standards and compliance, pilot mentoring, and Boeing 737 operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly praised Macchhar, stating, "Captain Smit Machchhar has shown the world the highest form of courage. Without fearing for his own life, he fought valiantly and prevented another 9/11 like attack from happening. 140 crore Indians salute Captain Smit and are praying for his well-being."