PM Modi speaks to Flydubai pilot Capt Smit Machhar on video call, lauds his courage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke directly on a video call to Captain Smit Machhar, the Indian pilot of Flydubai. He asked about the captain's health and wished him a speedy recovery. Modi said, "The whole of India is proud of your bravery."

On social media too, the Prime Minister called Captain Smit a "real hero". He wrote that the composure and unwavering resolve the captain showed are an inspiration to the countrymen. Modi had also mentioned Captain Smit's extraordinary courage at the centenary celebrations of the UPSC.

The incident involved a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv in Israel. The aircraft was cruising at 34,000 feet when commotion suddenly broke out in the cockpit. The co-pilot is reported to have turned violent without warning and attacked Captain Smit with intent to kill. He then took control of the aircraft and tried to bring it down rapidly. Within a few minutes the plane had dropped 17,000 feet, and panic spread through the cabin.

Captain Smit was seriously injured and bleeding, but did not give up. As the situation slipped out of control, he steeled himself, silently recited the Hanuman Chalisa and somehow managed to open the cockpit door. As soon as it opened, the remaining cabin crew and some alert passengers waiting outside rushed in. They seized the attacking co-pilot and overpowered him.

After control of the cockpit was regained, the aircraft made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. Captain Smit was given initial treatment there and then taken to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for further treatment. All of the more than 170 passengers on board remained completely safe.

Captain Smit's courage is being praised not only in India but around the world. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saluted him openly. Netanyahu said, "Because of this Indian pilot's incomparable courage, a terrible terror attack like 9/11 was averted and the lives of hundreds of our citizens were saved." Many world leaders, including Netanyahu, called him a "real hero". US President Donald Trump and several aviation experts have also saluted his spirit.

Captain Smit became very emotional while speaking to the Prime Minister. Recalling that moment, he said, "At that time I felt the plane would surely crash, but before my eyes were the faces of hundreds of innocent passengers. I was just trying to do my duty." He also said, with humility, that the passengers' lives were saved not because of him but through God's grace and the cooperation of the whole team.