Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has been hailed worldwide after an air incident on board a Flydubai aircraft that could have turned into a disaster was avoided by the pilot. Machchhar was the pilot of the Flydubai plane that was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying 174 people. An incident in the cockpit while the aircraft was in the air left him critically wounded. The Israeli authorities claimed that the co-pilot attacked him and tried to hijack the plane. The cabin door and a cockpit door were both broken down by the passengers and crew, allowing all the victims to escape and later subduing the attacker. The airplane was then diverted and landed in the Saudi Arabian city of Tabuk.
PM Modi calls Machchhar a hero
On October 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the Indian pilot as a hero and said that he has saved “countless lives through his valor.” The Indian pilot went missing when Air India Express flight IX1344 from Dubai was flying to Kozhikode in India. Modi also extended wishes for Machchhar’s swift recovery and called his conduct during the crisis an inspiration of grit and perseverance.
DON'T MISS
Netanyahu and Trump also acknowledged his bravery
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Machchhar for his continuing efforts to fight back after being seriously injured and for opening the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to take action. Trump lauded Machchhar as a hero and said he was quoting information that he had received. “I just want you to know that I am only quoting the information that I have received, I don’t know the veracity of it all,” Trump told reporters.
Latest health update
“The 43-year-old man was taken to a hospital in Tabuk after the emergency landing and is reported to have undergone surgery. His condition is stable.” Indian authorities are in touch with the family, and Flydubai is coordinating with the authorities.”The inquiry is ongoing,” the USPA wrote. No definitive reason has been ascertained for what motivated the cockpit attack. Authorities will likely investigate what happened during the flight and how it started. While Machchhar’s actions have attracted the attention of people in India and around the world, officials and passengers on the aircraft have said he helped save the plane.
