‘Delay is not my problem, as long as…’: Hero pilot Capt Smit Machchhar's eerie foresight months before flydubai stabbing

MONTHS before saving over 170 passengers from a mid-air disaster, the international ‘hero’ pilot Captain Smit Machchhar revealed that the everyday inconveniences of flying were the least of his concerns — as long as all aboard his plane walk out safe.

The resurfaced interview from 2025 is serving as Machchhar's uncompromising, and now eerily prophetic, philosophy on flight safety.

Survival over schedule

During his appearance on the podcast with Zalak Mehta, the veteran Boeing 737 captain brushed off the pressure of flight delays caused by seemingly minor technical glitches or medical emergencies.

“Delay is not my problem,” Machchhar stated bluntly in the interview. “As long as you're walking out of the aircraft, that's what I want.”

On Wednesday, his strict safety-first ethos was put to the ultimate test when Machchhar’s co-pilot reportedly stabbed him mid-air in an attempt to crash the aircraft.

According to Israeli officials, covered in blood on the cockpit floor and fighting severe injuries, Machchhar managed to activate the release switch to unlock the cockpit door.

His quick action allowed passengers and cabin crew to overpower the co-pilot. Two other flydubai pilots travelling as passengers stepped in to assist, successfully diverting the plane to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Every single one of the 174 people on board walked out of the aircraft—exactly as Machchhar has always insisted.

The pilot is now recovering in a hospital.

‘When things are going wrong…’

Machchhar had also highlighted the immense responsibility that aviation staff shoulder when a flight goes wrong.

"I'm not saying they're trained to do surgeries and stuff, but then, they can save your life, you know?" the 50-year-old Mumbai native said in the podcast.

Expressing frustration over the general public's perception of flight attendants and crew members, the pilot emphasised that their true value is only realised during unprecedented disasters.

“It is unfortunate how the entire outlook of people is there toward the crew, but when things are going wrong, you need them,” he added.

A sudden career switch and mother’s fear

Aviation was never a childhood dream for Machchhar. After school, he had enrolled in a textile engineering course to carry forward his family’s trade, later pursuing management studies at Mumbai's Welingkar Institute of Management.

It was during an aviation seminar there, at around the age of 19, that everything changed. “That's where the aviation bug ... really found me,” Machchhar recalled, adding that his mother was initially scared of his sudden career choice.

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

Despite his mother's early apprehension, Machchhar pursued training in New Zealand. He went on to spend 11 years with SpiceJet, rising through the ranks to become a line training captain responsible for mentoring younger pilots, before joining flydubai in 2022. Over a 15-year career, the veteran Boeing 737 captain logged nearly 9,750 flying hours.

‘Blessed’ profession despite risks

Despite the extreme risks his mother once feared, Machchhar harboured no regrets about his choices.

When asked during the podcast to describe how it feels to be a pilot in just one word, his answer was simple and immediate: "Blessed".

Global praise for ‘true hero’

The captain’s split-second composure under unimaginable distress has drawn praise from world leaders.

“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said 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."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him a "true hero".