India backs hero pilot Smit Machchhar after flydubai cockpit stabbing

Indian Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal on Thursday met the family of Captain Smit Machchhar, the flydubai pilot who was seriously injured after being stabbed by his co-pilot on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. The Indian government conveyed full support and assistance to the family and briefed them on his health and recovery.

Machchhar has been hailed for helping prevent a disaster on Wednesday after the co-pilot allegedly tried to crash flydubai flight FZ1073. The aircraft, carrying 174 passengers including 27 children, later landed safely at Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was arrested and is being questioned by the authorities.

Machchhar was stabbed in the cockpit during the flight and suffered serious injuries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described him as a "true hero" and said that "despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker - preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster."

Mittal, accompanied by Indian Consul General to Dubai Emmadi Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, met Machchhar's family members and conveyed the Indian government's full support and assistance for his welfare and well-being. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X: "Ambassador of India to the UAE met Captain Smit Machchhar's family in Dubai and conveyed the Government of India's full support and assistance for his welfare and wellbeing."

The Indian mission in the UAE said the country stands "immensely proud of Captain Smit for his exceptional bravery and selfless service." Mittal also posted on X: "We are proud of Capt Smit for his bravery to save so many lives and avert a tragedy. Just met the family and conveyed the greetings, conveyed full support of the Government of India in ensuring welfare and wellbeing of the Indian Hero."

Machchhar is admitted to a hospital in Tabuk city in north-west Saudi Arabia and is receiving medical attention. The Indian mission in Dubai said the two envoys informed the family about Captain Machchhar's "health & recovery, conveyed that the Embassy & Consulate are in touch with the UAE authorities, and assured the family of continued support." They also conveyed appreciation for his "extraordinary courage, presence of mind and selfless efforts in saving precious lives."

The flight had transmitted emergency signals on Wednesday and made a sharp descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before diverting to Tabuk. In sum, Indian officials have assured continued support to Machchhar's family as he recovers, after his actions helped the flight land safely and averted a possible disaster.

With PTI Inputs