Capt Machchhar grew up in the Indian city of Mumbai, where his parents still live. In 2008, he joined Mainland Air, an aviation college in New Zealand’s Dunedin, before joining Indian airline SpiceJet as a commercial pilot three years later. He moved to Dubai and joined Flydubai in 2022, having become an experienced pilot.
Speaking to the BBC, Philip Kean, the CEO of Mainland Air, said he remembers Capt Machchhar as a man who would remain calm in a crisis.
“We trained him for forced landing – not this kind of situation, which is very, very rare,” Kean said. “It was a long time back but he came across as a good and honest worker.”
Capt Machchhar has more than 9,750 hours of flying experience, including more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command, according to his LinkedIn profile.
His former employer SpiceJet issued a statement calling Machchhar a “hero” who had saved “countless lives”.
Last year, Capt Machchhar spoke about how he started flying and his experiences as a pilot on a podcast called Bona-Fide Banter.
Aviation, he said, was “never a childhood dream”. When he was around 19, he joined a management course, planning to work with his family’s business. But then he came across an aviation seminar and “the bug bit [him],” he added.
Machchhar also spoke about how, when he wore his pilot’s uniform, he was “no-nonsense” and thought “about work 100%”. But unlike his younger days, he added, he now placed a greater value on having a healthy work-life balance and spending time with family.
“Give personal life equal importance – it will help you fly longer,” he advised.
He also detailed challenges he had faced in the air, including when a passenger went into early labour and the crew worked together to ensure the baby was born safely.
“In aviation terms, I was lucky to grow up with people who helped me be the pilot that I am today,” he said, crediting senior pilots with teaching him how to face stressful situations.
At the time of the conversation, Capt Machchhar said that no plane he’d flown had had to make an emergency landing. He had, however, faced medical emergencies and minor aircraft issues causing delays.
He said delays were “not my problem. As long as you’re walking out of the aircraft [safely], that’s what I want.”
Indian social media has been awash with praise for Capt Machchhar since his identity emerged, with commenters calling him a hero. Snippets from the podcast have also gone viral.
