"Showed Immense Courage": PM Modi Praises flydubai's Pilot Smit Machchhar

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian citizen and flydubai pilot, has been praised for his bravery in averting a potential disaster on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight. According to The National Business and The National UAE, the Boeing 737 plunged nearly 20,000ft during a cockpit altercation, before diverting to Saudi Arabia.

The incident involved an altercation between Captain Machchhar and his co-pilot, who allegedly tried to crash the plane. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot stabbed Captain Machchhar and attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, Captain Machchhar fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, as per The National UAE.

Captain Machchhar, from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai, has been recognised for his actions by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised his "immense courage" and "unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others". According to NDTV, Captain Machchhar had been working with flydubai for four years. The Indian embassy in Riyadh reported that he was in a stable condition.

Brief written by urgent.news from NDTV, The Indian Express - India, Hindustan Times, The National Business, The National UAE — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.