UAE President jokingly offers to train Captain Smit Machchhar to fight, pilot’s reaction goes viral
Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar arrived at a ceremony hosted by the United Arab Emirates with stitches across his head and his left arm in a sling. He was there to receive an honour for helping avert a terror incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv. But it was his warm exchange with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that caught the internet’s attention.
The UAE President conferred the First Class Order of Zayed II on Machchhar and his fellow flydubai crew members in recognition of their courage, professionalism and commitment to passenger safety. During the ceremony, the President checked on the injured pilot, asked when he would recover and even joked about giving him fighting lessons once he was better.
UAE President checks on injured Indian pilot
As the two greeted each other, Machchhar hugged the UAE President and said, “It’s my honour, Your Highness.” Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan then looked closely at the injuries on his head, where stitches were visible across his skull, before the pair continued chatting.
The conversation soon turned playful. Noticing Machchhar’s arm in a sling, the President asked, “When will you heal?”
“Maybe two months,” the pilot replied.
“So I have an idea. When you heal, I want to have a session with you to train you how to fight,” Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said. The two then shared a hearty laugh.
“It’s my biggest honour,” Machchhar replied, placing a hand on his heart.
The President also addressed the flydubai crew and passengers as “family”, reassuring them of the UAE’s support. “Whatever happened in your life, UAE is your country and there is a home for you here, and you have a family,” he said.
Captain Smit Machchhar’s head injury
The injuries visible at the ceremony followed an attack in the cockpit. Machchhar was struck by his co-pilot, Hamam Al Hammami, with a cockpit crash axe, suffering a compound depressed skull fracture.
Under international aviation regulations, commercial aircraft must carry a crash axe in the cockpit for emergencies, including crashes. Such axes were previously kept in the main cabin but were moved to cockpits after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States 25 years ago.
UAE honours flydubai crew for their courage
The awards were presented by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. He praised the crew for their sense of responsibility, professionalism and dedication to their duties.
The ceremony was also attended by senior officials, including Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.
How flydubai Flight FZ 1073 plunged 14,000 feet
Flight FZ 1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 passengers on board, including 24 children, when the incident unfolded. After Al Hammami struck Machchhar with the axe, the aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
The crew’s actions during the incident were recognised at the UAE ceremony, with Machchhar’s appearance, despite his visible injuries and stitches, adding a personal note to the occasion.
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UAE honours Captain Smit Machchhar for showing exceptional courage during flydubai cockpit attack
