Israel to honour Indian pilot Smit Machhar for saving 172 passengers after axe attack on flight

Indian pilot Captain Smit Machhar, who played a key role in saving 172 passengers by keeping his presence of mind despite being attacked with an axe, is to be honoured by Israel and the United States. The attack was reportedly carried out by the aircraft's first officer.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced that Machhar will receive the country's highest civilian bravery honour, the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism. His bravery will also be entered in the official record of the US House of Representatives.

The Israeli Embassy in India announced the decision in a post on the social media platform X. The embassy said Captain Machhar's courage helped avert a major disaster. According to the embassy, President Herzog will present him the award once his health improves. It also conveyed wishes for his quick and full recovery.

Meanwhile, Indian-American US lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthi announced on Thursday that his statement praising Captain Machhar's bravery will be included in the official record of the US Congress. He also appealed to other lawmakers to honour his courage.

The incident took place on September 30. Flydubai flight FZ 1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. It is alleged that during the flight the first officer attacked Captain Machhar with an axe and tried to take control of the aircraft.

According to Krishnamoorthi's statement, the plane dropped about 16,000 feet in just 30 seconds during this time. Though critically injured, Captain Machhar reached the cockpit door and opened it. This allowed other passengers and crew on board to enter the cockpit and overpower the attacker.

Two reserve Flydubai pilots then took charge of the aircraft and landed it safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. There were 172 passengers on board, including four American citizens and 27 children.

Captain Smit Machhar has 17 years of flying experience, 11 of them as a captain. Krishnamoorthi said that even though he was critically injured, he put the passengers' safety first.

According to Krishnamoorthi, even in the middle of a fight for his own life, Captain Machhar realised that everyone's life on the plane depended on his next move. His experience and presence of mind gave others the chance to step in, and a potentially major disaster was averted.

Krishnamoorthi said that behind every passenger on the flight is a family. Captain Machhar did not give up, and that is why the passengers and crew were able to return safely to their loved ones. In these words, he praised the captain's courage.