flydubai pilot recounts fight to save plane in attack

· Security · United Arab Emirates

The Indian pilot of a flydubai aircraft has given his first interview since an attack on his plane, telling Sky News Arabia about the 'traumatic' experience of trying to keep the aircraft airborne. Captain Smit Machchhar described the 'blows' that kept coming and his sense that the aircraft was going down as he and the crew battled in the cockpit. 'You can't die like this,' he recalled thinking during the incident. The interview offers the first detailed account from the flight deck of an attack that drew international attention to aviation security in the region.

Why it matters：First-hand accounts of an in-flight attack highlight the exposure of commercial aviation to security threats in a region central to global air traffic.

Key points

  • Captain Smit Machchhar spoke to Sky News Arabia in his first interview since the incident.
  • He described repeated 'blows' and believing the aircraft was going down.
  • He said he thought 'you can't die like this' during the struggle.

Sources (original reporting)

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