&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "IAF chief AP Singh praises flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar as ‘exceptionally brave’ after cockpit attack")
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has praised flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar, saying, "What he did was exceptionally brave. He showed great physical and mental resolve. It is a lesson for us." In an earlier version of the remarks, Singh also said every Indian is proud of him.
Machchhar, an Indian national, was flying a Boeing 737 to Israel on Wednesday (Oct 1) when his co-pilot attacked him. Despite multiple stab wounds, he opened the cockpit door and let in passengers, who subdued the co-pilot. This likely saved the 174 people on board. The flight, FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk.
He added, "Every Indian is proud of him. What he did was exceptionally brave. He showed great physical and mental resolve. It is a lesson for us."
Another crew member, Shota Musayev, worked to control the captain's bleeding with blankets, oxygen and available equipment until the aircraft landed. Machchhar underwent surgery after the emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and was then airlifted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi.
On Friday (Oct 2), Machchhar described the ordeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call from his hospital bed. Modi said his actions helped save hundreds of lives and averted a great tragedy. Machchhar said his faith gave him the courage to seize what he believed was a last chance to save himself and the others on board. He added that he has been a captain for 11 years and knows what is happening in a flight even with his eyes closed.
The 38-year-old is married with two children and has flown for flydubai for about four years. Before that he spent 11 years at SpiceJet, where he was a senior commander and line training captain. His uncle, Kishorbhai Machchhar, called his composure "a miracle" and said the family still cannot believe how he stayed calm and focused. The praise has come from beyond India. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saluted the pilot's extraordinary bravery.
