A father of two children flew by chance... the other side of the Fly Dubai flight captain

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Flying was not a childhood dream for Indian Captain Smit Machhar, whose name made headlines after the Flydubai flight FZ1073 accident. The young man from a family working in textiles was heading towards a completely different future, before a seminar he attended at an early age changed the course of his life.

According to the Indian Express newspaper, Machar grew up in the Ghatkopar area of ​​Mumbai, in a family with Gujarati roots working in the textile trade and industry. He had already studied a field related to textiles, then went on to study management, and was expected to join the family business.

But his life took a different turn when, at the age of nineteen, he attended an aviation seminar during his studies. From there, the idea of ​​flying planes began, and he later traveled to New Zealand to receive aviation training, according to what was reported by the Indian newspaper.

An old interview with Machhar, details of which were republished by The Indian Express after the incident, reveals that his decision was not met with immediate enthusiasm within his family. His mother was worried about him entering the world of aviation, while his father was more accepting of his choice.

Machar explained that aviation about 15 to 17 years ago was not a common career option in his surroundings, as it became later.

After training, Machar entered the world of commercial aviation, and worked for years at the Indian company SpiceJet, before moving to Flydubai, where he works as a pilot on Boeing 737 aircraft. Hindustan Times reported that he joined Flydubai in June 2022 after a long career with the Indian company.

As for the more personal side of Machar's life, it is revealed in his previous statements about his family. According to what Channel NewsAsia reported in a report on his life after the accident, the Indian pilot is married and a father, and is keen to separate his life inside the cockpit and his life at home.

Machar had spoken about his change in outlook on life after marriage and fatherhood, explaining that once his work was finished he did not want to continue his day talking about airplanes.

In remarkably human terms, he talked about his children who are waiting for him at home and want him to play with them, indicating his eagerness to return to his role as a father after the trips end.

Indian reports, including TV9 Gujarati, stated that Machar is married to Sonal and they have two children, and that the family resides in Dubai, while his parents live in Mumbai. Some reports differed in details regarding the ages of the two children.

After the Flydubai accident, his father, Bhupinder Machhar, spoke to NDTV, saying that courage was one of his son's traits since his childhood.

Thus, the man who was preparing in his youth to work in his family’s business found himself years later as a pilot of a commercial aircraft, before his name became the focus of international attention following the “Fly Dubai” flight accident. As for his old phrases about returning from every trip to his children, they took on a completely different meaning after the accident.