India, Oct. 1 -- SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh has praised Captain Smit Machchhar. The Indian pilot was seriously injured during a mid-air attack aboard an Israel-bound flydubai flight but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to overpower the assailant, which averted a major tragedy.

Ajay Singh, who is the Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet Ltd, spoke to ANI from Japan about the horrific incident. He said, "The handle that opens the cockpit door is actually on the co-pilot's side. It would have needed real courage after being stabbed to reach out to the co-pilot's side and open the door."

When asked what goes through a pilot's mind in such a situation, the executive said, "I think the first thing that goes th...