Netanyahu hails FlyDubai pilot as global hero
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a global hero on Saturday for thwarting an alleged attempt to crash a flydubai flight heading to Israel. The incident occurred on flydubai flight FZ1073, which was carrying 174 passengers. Machchhar, 38, was attacked by his co-pilot with a crash axe during the flight, leading to serious injuries. After the attack, the flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a descent of over 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet.
Machchhar recounted the terrifying moments in the cockpit, describing how his co-pilot wanted to pray before the attack, but then suddenly attacked him. Netanyahu expressed his admiration for Machchhar's courage and cool judgment under impossible conditions, calling him a hero of Israel, India, and the entire world. He invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Machchhar to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day.
The plane was eventually brought to a stop in Saudi Arabia after part of the rudder was damaged during the extreme descent.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
