Hyderabad, Oct. 1 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump have praised Indian flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar after he was allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot during a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on Wednesday, September 30.

Machchhar was the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was carrying 174 people from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. While the aircraft was flying over the region, it transmitted emergency signals before being diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli officials said the signals followed a physical altercation between the pilots.

According to Reuters, the aircraft dropped nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed M...