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An old podcast appearance by Indian pilot Smit Machchhar drew attention after he was identified as the captain of a flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a confrontation in the cockpit.
Machchhar had appeared on the podcast nearly a year before Wednesday’s incident, where he discussed his career and offered advice to young pilots. He urged aspiring aviators to focus on gaining experience and developing their flying skills rather than targeting a particular airline, aircraft or building an online profile.
“I always suggest to my kids as well; you know, at first don't have preferences. No, I want to fly from here. Like, no. Fly,” Machchhar said. “For a pilot to gain that experience and to refine your skills is what a pilot is. Not to post something online, you know. Selfie and all. This has changed so much.”
Also Read: flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar stable, Israeli PM Netanyahu says 'He is a true hero'
His comments resurfaced after reports identified him as the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia following a confrontation between the two pilots.
Machchhar, a former SpiceJet pilot, joined flydubai in June 2022 as a direct-entry captain and was based in Dubai. His LinkedIn profile stated that he had more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and about 9,750 hours of flying experience on Boeing 737 aircraft, including the B737-800 and B737 MAX 8/9.
Before joining flydubai, Machchhar spent more than 11 years at SpiceJet, where he worked as a senior commander and later as a Line Training Captain. His profile stated that he had accumulated more than 9,500 flying hours with the airline, including more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command.
His professional experience also included training pilots, conducting pilot checks and mentoring. His profile listed expertise in crew resource management, flight standards, compliance and Boeing 737 operations.
Also Read: Who is Indian pilot Smit Machchhar? What we know so far about Flydubai flight incident
The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with about 180 passengers and crew when a fight broke out between the pilots in the cockpit. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk and landed safely. Flydubai said all passengers and crew members were safe and that it was cooperating with the authorities.
Israeli officials and passengers reportedly described a violent confrontation, with the co-pilot allegedly involved in stabbing Machchhar. The precise sequence of events and the motive remained under investigation.
The aircraft also sent emergency signals, including one associated with unlawful interference, raising fears of a possible hijacking leading Israel to quickly prepare fighter jets. It later experienced a sharp plunge before diverting to Tabuk, with passengers described hearing screams and seeing a chaotic situation near the front of the plane.
Machchhar had appeared on the podcast nearly a year before Wednesday’s incident, where he discussed his career and offered advice to young pilots. He urged aspiring aviators to focus on gaining experience and developing their flying skills rather than targeting a particular airline, aircraft or building an online profile.
“I always suggest to my kids as well; you know, at first don't have preferences. No, I want to fly from here. Like, no. Fly,” Machchhar said. “For a pilot to gain that experience and to refine your skills is what a pilot is. Not to post something online, you know. Selfie and all. This has changed so much.”
Also Read: flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar stable, Israeli PM Netanyahu says 'He is a true hero'
His comments resurfaced after reports identified him as the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia following a confrontation between the two pilots.
Machchhar, a former SpiceJet pilot, joined flydubai in June 2022 as a direct-entry captain and was based in Dubai. His LinkedIn profile stated that he had more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and about 9,750 hours of flying experience on Boeing 737 aircraft, including the B737-800 and B737 MAX 8/9.
Before joining flydubai, Machchhar spent more than 11 years at SpiceJet, where he worked as a senior commander and later as a Line Training Captain. His profile stated that he had accumulated more than 9,500 flying hours with the airline, including more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command.
His professional experience also included training pilots, conducting pilot checks and mentoring. His profile listed expertise in crew resource management, flight standards, compliance and Boeing 737 operations.
Also Read: Who is Indian pilot Smit Machchhar? What we know so far about Flydubai flight incident
The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with about 180 passengers and crew when a fight broke out between the pilots in the cockpit. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk and landed safely. Flydubai said all passengers and crew members were safe and that it was cooperating with the authorities.
Israeli officials and passengers reportedly described a violent confrontation, with the co-pilot allegedly involved in stabbing Machchhar. The precise sequence of events and the motive remained under investigation.
The aircraft also sent emergency signals, including one associated with unlawful interference, raising fears of a possible hijacking leading Israel to quickly prepare fighter jets. It later experienced a sharp plunge before diverting to Tabuk, with passengers described hearing screams and seeing a chaotic situation near the front of the plane.
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