The Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE has visited Captain Smit Machchhar — the Flydubai pilot injured in the FZ1073 incident — at a hospital in Abu Dhabi.
Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, visited Captain Smit Machchhar in a hospital in Abu Dhabi.
The Flydubai pilot was injured in the recent FZ1073 incident, which saw the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv plunge 17,000 ft (5,200m) after the co-pilot stabbed him in an attempted hijacking.
During a visit to Captain Smit Machchhar… the flydubai pilot who embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life.
From us, and from the leadership of the nation, he has our full appreciation and praise.
We are proud that he is part of our… pic.twitter.com/QgpQxdcK5C
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) October 3, 2026
With more than 170 people, two and a half hours into its journey, the unnamed assailant tried to take control of the plane but was unsuccessful when, in a miracle, Captain Smit Machchhar was able to unlock the cockpit door, sitting in a pool of his own blood, which allowed passengers to overpower the attacker and regain control.
The flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia, from where Captain Smit Machchhar was later flown to Dubai for treatment.
Speaking from a hospital bed to Indian President Narendra Modi, Captain Smit Machchhar said, “I was fighting for my life. I was so badly hurt that I had fallen to the ground. I knew I had to act. I could feel the aircraft was going down. But at the same time, I also knew I couldn’t let them [the passengers] die.”
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