Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, celebrated as a hero for preventing a flydubai jet bound for Israel from crashing, never envisioned a career in aviation during his childhood.
Initially focused on joining the family's textile business, his interest in aviation sparked at the age of 19, much to his mother's concern.
Despite logging thousands of hours in the air, Machchhar's passion for aviation remains confined to the cockpit, as he hesitates to share it with those on the ground.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Captain Smit Machchhar on X, calling him a 'HERO' and commending his extraordinary bravery and determination to safeguard others' lives, even while gravely injured and facing extreme peril.
In a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hailed him as a 'true hero.'
Machchhar is being treated at a hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after his flight was redirected on Wednesday. This occurred following an incident where the co-pilot allegedly stabbed him mid-flight in an attempt to crash the aircraft carrying 174 passengers, as per Israeli authorities.
According to Israeli officials, the Mumbai native, covered in blood on the cockpit floor, managed to activate the release to open the cockpit door. This enabled passengers and crew to subdue the co-pilot, while two flydubai pilots who were traveling as passengers assisted in landing the aircraft.
The veteran Boeing 737 captain, who has logged nearly 9,750 flying hours over a career spanning about 15 years, arrived in aviation relatively late.
"Unlike a lot of other aviators right now, aviation was not a childhood dream," Machchhar said in an interview in 2025 on a YouTube channel hosted by Zalak Mehta. "It came along much later in my life."
Following his schooling, he joined a textile engineering program to prepare for managing the family business, later advancing to management studies at Mumbai's Welingkar Institute of Management.
It was during an aviation seminar there, at the age of 19, that he first encountered the world of flying.
He mentioned that his passion for aviation truly took hold at that point, though his mother was initially apprehensive about his career choice.
Machchhar underwent training in New Zealand before joining SpiceJet, where he advanced to the role of line training captain, guiding younger pilots. He dedicated 11 years to SpiceJet and has spent the last four years with flydubai.
Throughout his career, he remembered rerouting flights due to medical emergencies and postponing departures because of what appeared to be minor technical problems.