Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO.
In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others.
His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy.
India is proud of Captain Machchhar.
Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health.
Captain Smit Machchhar is a hero.
Machchhar is a Hindu from India, so the media won’t mention him because it doesn’t fit the narrative.
Wounded and covered in blood, he fought back and held the attacker long enough for passengers and off-duty crew to pin the jihadist down.
Say his name. Don’t let them hide this.
Brave Indian Captain Smit Machchhar🇮🇳, despite reportedly being stabbed by the Omani co-pilot and being seriously injured and covered in blood, managed to get the cockpit door opened, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. Off duty pilots onboard then reportedly helped take control of the aircraft and bring everyone to safety.
Flydubai FZ1073 was carrying around 174 passengers, including 27 children, with most reportedly Israeli. During the incident, the aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than a minute before eventually landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has described it as an attempted “jihadist terror attack”, although the exact motive remains under investigation.
Saudi Arabia allowed the emergency landing, but reportedly refused Israel’s request to send Israeli military aircraft to collect its passengers. What happened inside that cockpit could have ended very differently. The courage shown by the Indian captain, crew, passengers and off duty pilots deserves recognition.
Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah have been following the health condition of Mr Smit Machchhar, the brave Indian pilot of Flydubai flight that was diverted to Tabuk today. He is admitted in a hospital in Tabuk city in northwest Saudi Arabia and receiving necessary medical attention. A full update on his health is awaited but he is reported to be in stable condition. We hope that he recovers from his injuries at the earliest. We are in touch with his family and assure them that we will continue to follow up on his health with Saudi authorities and extend all possible assistance for his wellbeing.
@MEAIndia
My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery.
Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.
He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.
I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery.
He is a true hero.
So today Pakistan tried to boycott the Asia Cup just because Team India didn’t shake hands with them after the match. A country with almost zero influence in ICC still dares to pull such stunts.
What hurts even more is the hypocrisy of our leadership. And saddest of all – we, the people, didn’t care either. By tuning in and keeping viewership stable, we handed Big Business exactly the ROI they were chasing.
Imagine someone in the private earning ₹2 lakhs a month. Sounds like a good salary, right? That’s ₹24 lpa.
He pays around ₹4 lakhs in ITR, plus indirect taxes on everything he buys. Add EMIs, rent, bills, and daily expenses, how much can he realistically save? Maybe ₹3–6 lakhs a year. To save ₹2 crores, he’d need to work for 20–30 years.
Now consider this: ₹2 crores, that’s the bribe an IRS officer demanded from a business to settle just one case. One case. What could be a person’s lifetime savings is another man’s bribe from just one case! Imagine what he’ll accumulate over a lifetime if not caught. Multiply that by lakhs of govt employees, bureaucrats, politicians, judges. Not saying all are corrupt, but even if 20% are, the scale of money hoarded is unimaginable.
And yet, somehow, India continues to move forward. How we’re progressing despite this deeply institutionalised corruption is nothing short of a miracle.