Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who fought off an attacking co-pilot aboard a Flydubai aircraft and helped save 174 people on board, is recovering steadily at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Wednesday, 7 October 2026. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal provided the update at a bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, saying the Indian Embassy in the UAE has remained in continuous contact with the pilot, his family, local authorities, and the treating hospital.

MEA's Official Statement

Jaiswal said at the briefing: 'Captain Machchhar is in a hospital in Abu Dhabi. We have kept you updated on his health condition. Our Embassy in UAE has been in regular touch with him, his family, local and hospital authorities. He is recuperating well, responding well and his health is improving.'

A day earlier, the Indian Embassy in UAE had posted on social media platform X: 'Capt Smit continues to make steady progress and is regaining his health. The Embassy remains in close touch with his family, doctors and local authorities, extending all possible assistance. We thank everyone for their prayers and wish him a speedy recovery.'

Captain Machchhar's Account of the Attack

On Saturday, Captain Machchhar recounted the harrowing moments inside the cockpit during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The flight, he said, had begun as a routine journey. His co-pilot had told him he wished to pray — a practice Machchhar described as common among local passengers and crew — so he looked ahead out of respect.

'While he was praying, out of respect, I was looking at the front and not at the back, and suddenly, after about four to five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head,' Machchhar said.

He recalled that his first instinct was to suspect catastrophic mechanical failure. 'My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft, that something is not right... but after that the blows kept coming, one after the other and that's when I realised that it's not the aircraft, it's the other guy who is in the cockpit with me,' he said.

Fighting Back Despite Severe Injuries

The repeated blows severely impaired Machchhar's vision, leaving him, in his own words, 'completely blurred out.' Despite this, he attempted to physically restrain his attacker. At a critical moment, with the aircraft descending sharply and passengers screaming, he resolved to make one final effort.

'And as I was telling the Ambassador here, I had that one last fight left in me... Call it personal or call it for people, I did it because if I didn't do it, I was going to die, and that's when I pushed against everything... I gave everything that I had and went for the door and opened the door,' he said.

He added that his memory of the incident remains fragmented: 'My memory is still in bits and pieces right now, but this is what I remember out of that time.'

International Recognition and What Happens Next

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited both Captain Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame at Israel's next Independence Day ceremony, a gesture reflecting the global recognition of Machchhar's actions. The Indian Embassy in UAE has said it will continue to extend all possible assistance as the pilot completes his recovery. His condition is described as improving, though a timeline for discharge has not been officially confirmed.