An ordinary pilot on a routine morning flight

In an exclusive interview with The National, recorded at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi, flydubai captain Smit Machchhar talks about flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026. He describes himself as an ordinary pilot who is obsessed with aircraft and aviation and who loves his family. He plays down the idea that he is a hero: he has always valued mental strength and preparedness, and in the moment of danger a survival instinct kicked in. The flight began like any other. flydubai pilots fly with new first officers and cabin crews almost every day, and this was the first time he flew with this first officer. On a morning flight through busy airspace the crew avoid deep conversations, so there was only small talk about drinks, meals and stretching their legs, and nothing that made him think something was off.

The attack and the help from the cabin

Machchhar says that when he was first hit, he thought part of the aircraft structure had fallen on him. Within seconds he realised that he was being attacked by the first officer. He chooses not to give details about the cockpit. Through the camera that shows the galley he could see his colleague, and his first thought was that he needed to get help into the cockpit. Badly injured, he drifted in and out of consciousness, and for a while he did not expect to survive. Asked why the attack happened at that moment, he says it makes no sense to him and that he prefers to look forward. His next memory is lying face down between the cockpit and the galley while many people were trying to bring the situation under control. A passenger pulled him out and the senior cabin crew member of his flight reached him. He says he never gave up, prayed and thought of his son and daughter.

Recovery in the UAE and flying again

After the landing in Saudi Arabia he was taken to hospital for long surgery, and he thanks the doctors there. The next morning he was told that, by order of the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, he was being flown back to the UAE. That was the first time he smiled after the attack. After about four and a half years in the country he calls the UAE home and thanks its people for their care, prayers and messages. On the question of who landed the aircraft, he says he knows nothing about reports of a plumber and does not want to guess: he remembers the senior cabin crew member saying that a captain was at the controls, and he is still waiting for the investigation's findings. After two and a half weeks at Zayed Military Hospital he feels ready to go home and recover with his family. His love of aviation has not changed. He expects experts in operations, safety and security to learn from the event so that it never happens again, and he cannot wait to put on the uniform and get back to work.