@c5news: The pilot attacked during the Flydubai incident has told how he didn’t want to “let others die” and fought to stay alive so he could stop his co-pilot killing their passengers. Smit Machchhar said he was on the ground and still being attacked on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when he realised the plane was plummeting and he had to act. "I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside," he said during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Others came in and also played a role [in controlling the situation]. I was of course fighting for my own life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die," he added. The plane dropped more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey before passengers and flight crew overpowered the attacker and reclaimed control of the flight. It made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Mr Machchhar a “true hero”. Machchhar, who is in a stable condition recovering from the attack, said he had been flying planes for 17 years and "can tell what is happening to the plane even with my eyes closed". The Indian PM told the pilot that his "courage, patience and quick decision-making saved the lives of so many people" and that the whole country was proud of him.

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Friday 02 October 2026 10:43:40 GMT