Smit Machchhar’s journey: From ‘why become a pilot?’ to ‘Captain, you are a hero’

Captain Smit Machchhar never planned to become a pilot. He studied textile engineering to join his family business and was pursuing a management course when an aviation seminar changed the direction of his life.

Years later, Machchhar is being hailed as a hero after his actions during a midair crisis helped avert a major disaster on a FlyDubai flight.

The Boeing 737 Max was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people on board when an alleged struggle between pilots sent the aircraft into a sudden dive. The plane plunged more than 14,000 feet within 30 seconds before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.


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Machchhar, who was injured after being stabbed, managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers then entered the flight deck, subdued the attacker and helped bring the situation under control, according to Bloomberg.

“The pilot who was there was an Indian pilot” and “very badly wounded,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “He’s fighting, I think, for his life right now, but in an act of unbelievable courage, he managed to unlock the door to the cockpit.”

US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have praised Machchhar’s courage.

“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO,” Modi said in a post on X.

“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,” Modi said. “His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of…”

Machchhar was taken to a hospital in Tabuk and was later shifted to Abu Dhabi for further treatment, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said.

PM Modi also spoke to Machchhar on Friday over video call. "Bharat is eager to welcome you. Yesterday, special prayers were held across the country for your health," PM Modi told the Captain.

"Whenever I am in pain, I recite Hanuman Chalisa. At that time too, I only kept reciting the Hanuman Chalisa...Today, one call from you makes me feel really proud," Machchhar told Modi from his hospital bed.

‘Aviation was not a childhood dream’

Speaking on the Bonafide Banter with Zalak Mata podcast in October 2025, Machchhar said aviation had not been part of his original career plan.

“Unlike a lot of other aviators right now, aviation was not like a childhood dream,” he said. “It came along much later in my life.”

After school, he joined a textile engineering course because he wanted to work in his family business. He completed the course and then enrolled in a management programme to help expand the business.

It was during that course that he attended an aviation seminar.

“That’s where the aviation bug, in a way, came,” he said.

Machchhar was 19 when he decided to pursue flying. His mother was worried because becoming a pilot was not a familiar career path for many Indian families at the time.

“Aviation 15-17 years ago was completely different. You didn’t hear a lot of people becoming pilots. Becoming pilots was—no one had any idea how to do it,” he said.

His father, whom he described as calmer, supported the decision and asked him to find out how and where he could train.

Machchhar completed his commercial pilot training in New Zealand. It was his first trip outside India. Before that, he had taken only a few flights as a passenger because train travel was cheaper.

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From a nervous trainee to a Boeing pilot

Machchhar said his first commercial flight was from Bengaluru to Delhi while he was still under training and probation.

He was flying alongside senior examiners and found the experience stressful.

“That was scary. Not because of the flying part but the responsibility,” he said.

Machchhar said he made mistakes because he was nervous and tried to stay ahead of the aircraft instead of relaxing.

“Relaxing would have been the best option,” he said. “Stressing is not going to help, at least in this industry.”

His senior examiners helped him work through the errors and settle into the flight.

“Half an hour into the flight, then it was a very good enjoyable experience,” he said.

Machchhar had wanted to fly Boeing aircraft because the company was the market leader when he entered the profession.

“My first aircraft was a Boeing and it’s always been that aircraft all my life,” he said.

He was among the first batch of pilots trained to fly the Boeing 737 Max in India while working with SpiceJet. The aircraft was later grounded after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Machchhar said there were times when he was unsure about allowing his parents to fly on the Max, even though he was flying the aircraft himself.

“There were times when even I was unsure that if I want my parents travelling on the Max,” he said.

He said pilots were later briefed about the issues identified in the aircraft and received additional training before it returned to service.

When the uniform comes off

Machchhar said he tries to leave aviation behind when he leaves the cockpit.

“When I walk out of the cockpit, I don’t want the other guy to know that I’m a pilot,” he said.

His approach changed after marriage and children.

“When you walk out of the cockpit, that’s it. Stop thinking about that. Now the kids are there, they want to play with you,” he said.

He also mentors aspiring pilots through FlyBy Aviation, an academy he joined with three friends with whom he had trained and flown since around 2007.

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The academy helps students understand pilot training, licensing and the career path. Machchhar said he wanted to make information more accessible because aspiring pilots had limited guidance when he began his own journey.

He said students generally need 20 to 24 months to complete training and obtain a commercial pilot licence. Training in India can cost around Rs 40-50 lakh, while overseas training can cost between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1 crore, depending on the location and institution.

Machchhar also warned students against assuming that joining a cadet programme guarantees an airline job.

“Just because you’ve paid for it, I mean, yes, the airline would do its best to retrain you and get you up to the expected level,” he said. “But not everyone can be a good pilot.”

The lessons he shares with aspiring pilots

Machchhar’s advice to commercial pilot licence holders waiting for jobs is simple: “Keep studying.”

“If there are 100 people wanting those two or three slots, you can’t be in the higher 70s,” he said.

He believes pilots must keep learning even after joining an airline because they undergo regular medical examinations, simulator checks, line checks and other assessments.

His own career has included difficult weather conditions, medical emergencies and an emergency birth on board a flight.

In one incident, a passenger gave birth shortly after takeoff. The cockpit crew checked nearby airports, reviewed the weather and prepared for a possible diversion. The baby was born before the aircraft landed, and paramedics met the mother and child after arrival.

“It was as quick as it should have been,” Machchhar said.

He described a difficult approach at Mykonos in Greece, where wind shear forced him to carry out an escape manoeuvre practised in simulators.

“That was one of the approaches I would say was one of the most tricky,” he said.

When asked to describe the feeling of being a pilot in one word, Machchhar replied: “Blessed.”