Captain Smit Machchhar’s health improving: MEA

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture in honor of Flydubai ‘hero’ Captain Smit Machchhar in Puri. File. | Photo credit: ANI

Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who was injured in the attack on his co-pilot on a flydubai flight, is responding well and improving after undergoing surgery at an Abu Dhabi hospital, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday (Oct 07, 2026).

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this during his fortnightly media briefing.

“Captain Machchhar is in hospital in Abu Dhabi. Our embassy in the UAE is in regular contact with his family, doctors, hospital and local authorities to get the latest information on his health,” he said.

“According to the information we have, his health is improving and he is in the recovery phase after the surgery. He is responding well,” Mr Jaiswal said.

On flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30, Mr Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot, an Omani national, with a crash ax usually kept in the cockpit in case of an emergency, seriously injuring him. The motive for the attack remains unclear.

The Israel-bound flight with 174 passengers sent emergency signals and made a rapid descent of more than 17,000 feet from an altitude of 34,000 feet. The captain was lying injured on the cockpit floor when he realized the plane was descending and decided to make “one last push” to open the cockpit door.

On October 1, India’s ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, said Mr Machchhar was “in good health and recovering well”. M. Mittal visited Captain Machchhar in hospital.

Two backup pilots landed the plane safely at Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in the Saudi city of Tabuk, where the co-pilot was taken into custody and Machchhar was taken to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi.

Mr. Jaiswal was also asked about Pakistan’s recent claims of border infiltration.

“A country that has supported cross-border terrorism for years… it has become their nature to tell lies, to present falsehoods. I can only say, no matter how hard they try, the drama on TV cannot change the basic reality,” he said without elaborating.

Earlier in a statement, the MEA said, “India has also categorically rejected the baseless and motivated allegations regarding the incident in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab along the International Border on October 2.”

Published – 8 Oct 2026 05:41 IST