New Delhi:
For Captain Smit Machchhar, passenger safety has always been his top priority, podcaster Zalak Mehta said, recalling her year-old interview with the brave pilot who has emerged as a hero in the flydubai incident.
Speaking with NDTV’s foreign affairs editor Aditya Raj Kaul, she described the pilot as humble, courageous, and passionate towards his job.
“Something that has really stayed with me from our podcast is the selflessness he portrayed during my rapid-fire round, where I asked him if he would do a safe or a smooth landing. He said he would always do a safe landing. The safety of his passengers has always been his utmost priority,” Mehta said.
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Captain Machchhar fought off his co-pilot during an alleged attempt to crash the flydubai plane they were flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, saving the lives of at least 174 passengers.
Stabbed by his co-pilot during the cockpit struggle, his bloodied visuals went viral. And praise poured in for his courage. So did prayers.
When she heard about it, Mehta recalled she wanted to believe that it wasn’t Machchhar. “But, unfortunately, it was,” she said, adding that she was only concerned about whether he was safe.
“On the other hand, I was feeling immensely proud of what he had done: saved almost 180 lives. That is extremely commendable.”
Soon after Machchhar’s name emerged, the podcast that Mehta had recorded with him in 2025 resurfaced, in which the pilot had spoken about passenger safety and his aviation career.
She recounted that Captain Machchhar had then spoken about how the crew ensures passenger safety and the advantage of having a doctor on board. “He focused on that safety is something that the crew handles, and a safe landing is something that he handles,” she added.
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His calm demeanour was a striking personality trait that Mehta remembered distinctly from the interview.
“He professionally answered every single question that I asked, with his calm and composure,” she said, pointing out that the same composure was evident during his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today. “He has it in him. He’s pretty calm and composed as a person.”
She also recalled that Machchhar had told her that he initially wanted to join his family business but had a change of mind at the age of 19. And since then, she said, he has worked hard with passion.
