The pilot stabbed during an alleged hijacking attempt on a FlyDubai flight to Israel trained in New Zealand, with the chief executive of his former Dunedin flight school saying he “stood out” as a student.
Captain Smit Machcchar trained at Mainland Air in Dunedin for about 18 months in 2008 before returning to India to continue his aviation career.
Machchhar was flying a FlyDubai service from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv carrying about 170 passengers when his co-pilot reportedly stabbed him and attempted to bring down the aircraft.
The aircraft plunged from 33,000ft to 17,000ft in roughly a minute as terrified passengers feared a hijacking.
Video shared from inside the cabin showed a pilot with blood on his shirt being treated in the aisle and another man restrained on the floor.
Mainland Air chief executive Philip Kean told 1News he immediately recognised his former student when he saw reports of the incident.
"I looked at it twice. I said ‘Is that old Smit?' There was Smit,” he said.
Kean remembered Maccchar as a strong student, saying he “stood out” among those training at the school at the time and “did well” with his studies.
“He was a leading type student, out in front. He did very well, went through good, and then headed back to India and carried on with his career.”
Machchhar had remained in contact with the Dunedin school over the 18 years since and now also helped Mainland Air with recruitment in India, Kean said.
Speaking of the frightening ordeal on the FlyDubai flight, Kean said: "He’s obviously got good survival instincts in him and they came to fruition, as you’ve seen there."
He said he had sent Machchhar a message wishing him well but wanted to give him time to recover.
“We’re all very proud of him here and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Off-duty Kiwi pilot helped overpower attacker - reports
As Israel scrambled fighter jets out of concern for a possible hijacking, a passenger and crew member broke into the cockpit to subdue the attacker and other crew members gained control of the aircraft, which landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Aviation media has reported two off-duty pilots travelling as passengers also intervened — one a South African citizen and the other reportedly a New Zealander.
Alongside cabin crew and other passengers, they reportedly pinned the attacker to the floor and regained control of the aircraft.
The Aviation Herald said: "An Israeli official reported that two other pilots in civil clothes travelling as passengers intervened successfully, these are also the ones shown on the passenger pictures with blood on their shirts. One of the pilots is citizen of South Africa, the other of New Zealand."
The New Zealand pilot reportedly involved was separate from Machchhar, who trained in Dunedin but was from India.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade could not confirm the reports, saying: "We are aware of reports that a New Zealand citizen was among the 174 people on board, however we do not yet have formal confirmation of that."
It said information so far indicated no passengers onboard were travelling on New Zealand passports, but it was unable to confirm whether any dual national New Zealanders were on the flight.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, speaking at a National Party event in Coronet Peak this morning, said the information he had received suggested otherwise.
"I have seen the media reports. Obviously there were some very brave actions from some of the passengers there. The information I had this morning was there were no New Zealanders on board that flight," he said.
Officials would continue checking that information during the day, he said.
Safety measures
The cockpit door on all aircraft is locked during flight for security reasons — a measure that became the industry standard after the September 11, 2001 attacks, in which hijackers broke into the cockpits of four domestic flights in the United States.
It remained unclear how the passenger and crew managed to get into the FlyDubai cockpit since aircraft doors are reinforced to withstand attempts to break them down.
It had also not been officially confirmed who flew the aircraft during its safe landing.
- Additional reporting by The Associated Press
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including terror on board an Israel bound plane, and farewell to a famous voice of sport. (Source: 1News)
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