Who is Captain Smit Machchhar? Indian Flydubai pilot injured in cockpit confrontation

Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian commercial pilot injured during a cockpit confrontation on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, has spent more than a decade flying Boeing 737 aircraft and has held senior command and pilot-training roles.

Machchhar's decade-long Boeing 737 career

Machchhar joined Flydubai in June 2022 as a direct-entry captain. Before that, he spent about 11 years with SpiceJet, where he rose to senior commander and later became a Line Training Captain.

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His professional profile lists about 9,750 hours of flying experience on Boeing 737 aircraft, including the 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9. During his tenure at SpiceJet, he logged more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command.

From engineering to aviation

Machchhar did not initially plan an aviation career. After school, he joined a textile engineering course linked to his family business. He later moved to a management course.

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It was during that period, at an aviation seminar, that Machchhar decided to become a pilot. He was 19 at the time, reported NDTV.

He subsequently trained in New Zealand. In a podcast, Bonafide Banter with Zalak Mehta, Machchhar said the training cost around Rs 16 lakh to Rs 17 lakh.

Rise through SpiceJet ranks

His decision initially worried his mother, while his father was more accepting of the career choice. Machchhar later built his career around the Boeing 737 fleet.

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He joined SpiceJet in June 2011 and spent more than a decade with the airline. He became a Line Training Captain in November 2020, a position involving the training and checking of other pilots.

His experience also includes pilot mentoring, flight standards and crew resource management. His profile lists more than 13 years of commercial flying experience on the Boeing 737 fleet.

Four years with Flydubai

Machchhar left SpiceJet in June 2022 and joined Flydubai as a direct-entry captain. Airlines use this route to appoint pilots who already have command experience with another carrier.

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His younger brother has also joined Flydubai, according to an NDTV report.

Cockpit confrontation forces emergency landing

Machchhar was commanding flight FZ1073 when an altercation broke out in the cockpit on Wednesday. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and made an emergency landing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Machchhar was attacked by the co-pilot.