Smit Machar: I opened the cockpit doors so passengers could help stop the sudden descent

Indian captain Smit Machar said he opened the cockpit doors to allow passengers to enter and help stop the aircraft’s sudden descent after he was attacked by the co‑pilot during a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Machar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call that, while the co‑pilot was assaulting him, he realised the aircraft was losing altitude and that he had to act to prevent a crash.

Actions on board and emergency diversion

The captain described trying, while injured, to open the cockpit doors so passengers could enter and assist with stopping the rapid loss of height. “I fought for my life, but at the same time I knew I would not allow others to die,” Machar said. He was hospitalised after the incident and is reported to be in stable condition.

Following the attack, the flight — operated by Flydubai from Dubai to Tel Aviv — changed course and made an unscheduled landing in Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Modi praised Machar during the call, saying that “his courage, patience and quick decision‑making saved many lives.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said investigators believe the attacker “very likely intended to bring down the aircraft” and that there are indications he had been exposed to Islamist radical indoctrination.

Photo: press material from the event