Captain Smit Machchhar was bleeding and lying on the cockpit floor after being stabbed by his co-pilot when he managed to reach the cockpit door release.

That single action allowed passengers and crew members to enter the cockpit and confront the attacker.

The aircraft had already plunged thousands of feet during the struggle, but passengers and off-duty pilots managed to regain control before the plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. All 174 passengers on board survived.

Machchhar was seriously injured in the attack and was taken to a hospital in Tabuk.

An Indian embassy official later said he was in stable condition. A dentist travelling on the flight also treated him for heavy bleeding before the aircraft landed.

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The 39-year-old Indian pilot has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience, most of it on Boeing 737 aircraft.

He joined flydubai in 2022 after spending about 11 years with SpiceJet, where he worked as a senior commander and training captain. He has logged around 9,750 hours of flying.

Machchhar’s journey into aviation was not something he had planned from the beginning.

After school, he initially pursued textile engineering, followed by a management course. An aviation seminar he attended at the age of 19 changed his plans and led him towards a career as a pilot.

He later trained in New Zealand before beginning his commercial flying career in India. He joined SpiceJet in 2011 and moved to flydubai in June 2022 as a direct-entry captain.

On Wednesday, Machchhar was commanding flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the cockpit attack took place.

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The co-pilot allegedly stabbed him and attempted to take control of the aircraft.

As the plane began its steep descent, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door despite his injuries.

Passengers rushed in and helped subdue the attacker, while other pilots travelling on the flight helped stabilise and land the aircraft.

The suspect was arrested after the emergency landing, and the circumstances and motive behind the attack remain under investigation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage during the incident, saying India was proud of his actions.

He said Machchhar showed immense resolve while injured and helped protect the lives of those on board, while wishing him a speedy recovery.

US President Donald Trump also praised Machchhar, describing him as a hero.

Speaking at the Oval Office, Trump said the pilot fought off the knife attack, managed to open the cockpit door and called for help.

Referring to the attacker, Trump said he had discussed the incident with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described the co-pilot as possibly a terrorist or, in his words, “perhaps a whack-job.”