"Incredibly Proud": SpiceJet CEO Praises flydubai Pilot Who Worked With Them

SpiceJet CEO Ajay Singh on Thursday praised the Indian captain who was at the controls of a flydubai flight when a copilot stabbed him in an apparent attempt to crash the plane and said he is "incredibly proud". Speaking to NDTV, Singh said he was "absolutely delighted" that Captain Smit Machchhar, who previously worked for SpiceJet, was able to avert the "disaster".

Machchhar, who is from Gujarat and lived in Mumbai before moving to the UAE, was seriously injured after the co-pilot, an Omani national, stabbed him during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Hearing noises, passengers and crew rushed into the cockpit and overpowered the co-pilot as the Boeing 737 plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. A second pair of flydubai pilots aboard the flight -- which was carrying over 170 passengers and crew -- then landed the jet safely in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk.

"I was relieved that this accident was prevented. It would have been a great, great disaster for aviation and for humanity. I was absolutely delighted that Smit was able to be there and fulfill his duty as a captain, because the biggest and the greatest duty of any captain flying any airplane is to ensure the safety of the passengers that he flies," Singh said.

He said Machchhar, who is said to have worked for SpiceJet for around 11 years, did his job in such an "exemplary and brave manner" that all of India and SpiceJet is "incredibly proud" of.

#Exclusive | “I'm So Incredibly Proud, I'm Absolutely Delighted”: SpiceJet CEO Ajay Singh Hails Captain Smit Machchhar

NDTV's @AdityaRajKaul speaks with SpiceJet CEO Ajay Singh, who praised Captain Smit Machchhar's courage, professionalism, and presence of mind, calling him a… pic.twitter.com/auhBE6fAic

— NDTV (@ndtv) October 1, 2026

He also praised Machchhar, who is said to be in early 30s, for his quick response and opening the cockpit door.

"You know that it's not so easy to do that because while cabin crew can punch in the security code from the outside, ultimately, the captain has to actually open the door from inside," he said, adding that the switch to open the door is on the side of the co-pilot.

"So for him to be able to reach out to that place and open that door while he was being attacked by his co-pilot was absolutely incredible," Singh said.

He also called for more analysis of pilots.

"We do psychometry tests. So we do try and profile the pilots who are being selected to fly in a cockpit. But it's incredibly dangerous if you get somebody who has a different mindset and is himself a threat, because I don't think aviation is really geared to protect against the pilots themselves causing harm to their own passengers," he said.

"Indian Prevented 9/11-Style Attack": PM Modi Praises "Hero" Pilot

Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks that Captain Smit Machchhar "prevented a 9/11-style tragedy", referring to the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.

"The incident that occurred yesterday, Captain Smit of India demonstrated remarkable patience, presence of mind, and courage; indeed, as the Prime Minister of Israel stated today, an Indian prevented a 9/11-style tragedy," PM Modi said at event in Delhi on Thursday.

He had earlier called Machchhar -- who has logged more than 9,750 flying hours -- a "hero" and said that India was proud of him.

"In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy," he posted on X.

Netanyahu had praised the Indian pilot "for his extraordinary bravery", saying he fought off his copilot, preventing a "catastrophic mid-air disaster".

"An amazing act of heroism -- of his, of the Indian pilot, of the people who helped them. They stopped a disaster that could have been global," he said.