# Hero flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar Airlifted to UAE, Indian Ambassador Visits Him in Hospital > Captain Smit Machchhar, credited with helping save 174 lives after he was attacked in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073, has been moved from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi for continued treatment, with India's envoy describing him as in good health and recovering well. - Source: India Max - Canonical URL: https://indiamax.net/article/hero-flydubai-pilot-smit-machchhar-airlifted-to-uae-indian-ambassador-visits-him-in-hospital - Author: India Max Staff - Section: Politics - Published: 2026-10-01T20:38:32.656Z - Updated: 2026-10-01T20:38:32.656Z - Tags: flydubai, Smit Machchhar, UAE, India - Hindi edition: https://indiamax.net/hi/article/hero-flydubai-pilot-smit-machchhar-airlifted-to-uae-indian-ambassador-visits-him-in-hospital --- Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot being hailed as a hero for his role in keeping 174 people alive after a cockpit attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, has been airlifted from Saudi Arabia to the UAE for continued medical treatment, with India's Ambassador to the UAE visiting him at the hospital in Abu Dhabi. The flight, a Boeing 737 MAX travelling from Dubai toward Tel Aviv, was diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday after Machchhar was attacked in the cockpit by his co-pilot, an Omani national who had been with flydubai for roughly eight months. Machchhar, who has thirteen years of flying experience including more than four at flydubai, suffered severe wounds to his head and hands and significant blood loss, yet still managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to restrain the co-pilot and bring the situation under control. Preliminary investigation by Israeli authorities has pointed toward the incident being an attempted attack rather than an accident, a assessment that has drawn international attention to the case even as the focus in India has centred on Machchhar's condition and recovery. After receiving initial treatment at a hospital in Tabuk, Machchhar was shifted to Abu Dhabi for further care, where Indian Ambassador to the UAE Dr Deepak Mittal visited him and his family. Mittal described himself as very reassured after the visit, saying Machchhar was in good health and recovering well, speaking openly and even smiling, a sign of relief for a family that had been anxiously following his condition since the attack. India's Ministry of External Affairs has said it continues to closely follow his health and is coordinating with local authorities on his care. Machchhar's actions have drawn comparisons in India to Neerja Bhanot, the flight attendant who died shielding passengers during the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, with many pointing to how both put their own safety aside to protect everyone else on board. For now, attention in Abu Dhabi remains on his recovery, with officials and family alike treating his survival and the safe landing of the aircraft as the outcome that mattered most. --- Originally published by India Max. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://indiamax.net/article/hero-flydubai-pilot-smit-machchhar-airlifted-to-uae-indian-ambassador-visits-him-in-hospital.