The last push': FlyDubai captain Smit Machchhar recounts harrowing cockpit attack

FlyDubai said it temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv until further notice following an alleged in-flight cockpit attack during a trip from Dubai to Tel Aviv this week. In a video call released Friday by the office of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, FlyDubai captain Smit Machchhar recounted how he believed he had to act to save passengers. The seriously injured captain described realizing he was fighting not only for his own life, but for everyone on board, saying he opened the cockpit door despite being beaten and wounded. He said the aircraft plunged thousands of feet, and the flight was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for an emergency landing. Machchhar said he recovered after initial treatment in Tabuk and was transferred to Abu Dhabi for continued care, while Modi praised his “presence of mind.”