From Neerja Bhanot to flydubai’s Smit Machchhar: 40 years apart, two Indian aviation heroes

Four decades apart, two Indian aviation professionals found themselves at the centre of life-threatening emergencies in the skies. Neerja Bhanot and Captain Smit Machchhar faced very different situations, but both took crucial actions that helped protect passengers when their aircraft were in grave danger.

Neerja’s courage saved lives

On September 5, 1986, Neerja Bhanot was the senior flight purser aboard Pan Am Flight 73 when four members of the Abu Nidal Organisation hijacked the aircraft during its scheduled stopover at Karachi airport. The Boeing 747 was operating on a Bombay–Karachi–Frankfurt–New York route and had 379 people on board.

Bhanot alerted the cockpit crew after the hijackers entered the aircraft, allowing the pilots to escape before the aircraft could be flown away. During the 17-hour ordeal, she and other crew members hid passengers’ passports, including those that could identify American nationals.

As the situation deteriorated, Bhanot opened an emergency exit and helped passengers escape.

She remained on board to assist others and was killed while shielding three children from gunfire. She was later awarded the Ashoka Chakra for bravery.

Forty years later, on September 30, 2026, Captain Smit Machchhar was commanding flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv when an emergency unfolded inside the cockpit.

Smit Machchhar fought to survive

Captain Smit Machchhar was in command of flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, with 174 people on board. He was seriously injured during what UAE authorities later described as an attempted terrorist act involving the co-pilot and a crash axe inside the cockpit.

Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to reach the cockpit door and open it. Passengers and crew members waiting outside then rushed into the cockpit and helped bring the situation under control. Other qualified pilots on board also assisted in securing the aircraft and taking over the flight.

The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. All passengers and crew were accounted for. Machchhar was initially treated in Saudi Arabia before being transferred to the UAE for further medical care.

In a later account of the incident, Machchhar recalled that his vision had become severely blurred and that he found himself on the cockpit floor as the aircraft descended and passengers screamed. Despite his injuries, he continued to act during the emergency, helping create an opportunity for those outside the cockpit to intervene.

Recalling the moment, Machchhar said he knew he could not let everyone else die. He also stressed that passengers and crew played an important role in bringing the emergency under control.

Tributes pour in

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, visited Captain Smit on Saturday. He praised the pilot's "highest degrees of courage, responsibility and care for human life".

"We are proud that he is part of our team... part of the story of our nation... and part of what the UAE stands for," Sheikh Hamdan said.

Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, also praised him for his action.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Captain Smit and hailed his bravery. 

Bhanot and Machchhar lived through aviation emergencies 40 years apart. Their stories are remembered for the same defining response: in moments of extreme danger, they acted to protect the people entrusted to their care.