The Flydubai pilot, in his first public statement, reveals what happened in the cockpit during the Tel Aviv flight

- Captain Smit Machhar, the Flydubai pilot who was considered a “hero” after he fended off a violent attack by his co-pilot, said he continued fighting because he could not “let others die,” in his first public statements since the suspected kidnapping attempt that occurred on Wednesday. “At that moment, I was fighting for my life,” Machhar told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a video call on Friday.

I was injured so badly that I fell to the ground... Meanwhile, I was thinking: What if I can't get back up again?"

Machhar told Modi that he was lying on the cockpit floor when he realized the plane was starting to fall. “I realized at that moment that I had to make a last effort; come on, Smit! And even at that moment, the attacker was continuing to hit me,” he said.

Pointing to a number of other passengers who rushed into the cockpit and subdued the attacker, he added: “Then I opened the door... I was doing it in defense of my life, but at the same time I knew that I could not allow others to die.”

Modi praised Machhar's heroism, assuring the veteran pilot that his "courage, patience, and quick wit... You were personally fighting a life-or-death battle."

Machhar was clearly emotional during his phone conversation with Modi as he recalled the details of the ordeal, and he apologized to the Prime Minister for shedding tears during the call. The two later spoke in Gujarati, which is the dominant language among the residents of the state of Gujarat, located in western India, and the state from which Modi hails.

"Machhar" stated that his daughter came to visit him in the hospital, but she felt afraid when seeing him in that condition, noting that his youngest son - who is two years old - had not been able to meet him yet. Speaking to the Bona-Fide Banter podcast in 2025, Machhar, who grew up in a textile family, said that becoming a pilot was not his “childhood dream”; He had initially enrolled in a course in textile engineering after completing his school studies.

During his conversation with Modi, Machhar expressed his feeling of pride. “Now that you have called me, I feel very proud of myself,” Machhar said.

“I didn't feel proud before, but now I do.” Machhar suffered serious injuries while trying to fend off the attacker.

The pictures showed a horrific scene inside the plane, with blood scattered throughout the cockpit, while the severely injured pilot was lying on the ground, his face reflecting pain partially covered by a mask. Machhar is recovering in a hospital in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and had received initial treatment for his injuries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the plane - whose course was changed - was forced to make an emergency landing.

Dentist Shota Musayev - one of the passengers on the flight who helped treat him - had previously told Ufoq News Network that this father of two children was suffering from "severe blood loss" and was "severely injured." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Ofoq News Network on Wednesday that Machhar's courage "succeeded in preventing a catastrophe similar to the events of September 11."