Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke with Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot involved in the recent flydubai plane incident, and enquired about his experience. During the conversation, Captain Smit became emotional as he recounted the ordeal and spoke about what gave him the courage to act in the difficult moment.
Captain Smit Machchhar Gets Emotional
“You are my biggest idol. I feel proud of the way you are encouraging me today. I had so many injuries, but I told myself I have to get up and act. At the time, I pushed myself to open the cockpit door,” Machchhar said, as quoted by news agency ANI. The Prime Minister applauded his bravery and wished him a speedy recovery.
PM Modi Praises Machchhar
In a video call with Machchhar, PM Modi praised his courage, presence of mind and composure in saving many lives. During the conversation, PM Modi said, “The whole country is praying for you. Maha Mrityunjay Jaap is being done for you and your health. Your courage, presence of mind and composure saved many lives. The country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others.”
Earlier on Thursday, PM Modi had spoken to the wife and parents of Captain Smit, who helped save around 174 lives after being stabbed during a cockpit confrontation on a flydubai flight on September 30. PM Modi had applauded his bravery and stressed that Indian missions are providing all possible help. The pilot had earlier received praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Donald Trump.
Captain Smit Injured In flydubai Cockpit Struggle
Machchhar was seriously injured after being attacked by his co-pilot during a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. He was the captain of flight FZ1073, which was carrying 174 people when the incident took place. The co-pilot was identified as an Omani national by Israeli authorities.
After the attack, the aircraft sent emergency signals and made a sharp descent before landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and help restrain the attacker. Two off-duty pilots who were travelling as passengers also helped take control of the aircraft and it was diverted to Tabuk.
Crew Members Taken To Abu Dhabi
The flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the aircraft’s captain has been transferred from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday where authorities are investigating the incident. According to Reuters, Saudi authorities said both the captain, Machchhar, and the co-pilot received medical treatment and were later cleared by doctors.They then left for Abu Dhabi from Saudi Arabia with an Emirati security team. A statement from the Saudi Interior Ministry noted that an initial inquiry found that the co-pilot had attacked the captain during the flight.