{
  "id": 16853228,
  "title": "UAE President honours Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for bravery during flydubai mid-air attack",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/uae-president-honours-indian-pilot-smit-machchhar-for-bravery-during",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T05:26:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/world/indian-pilot-smit-machchhar-flydubai-mid-air-attack-uae-president-honour-10939997/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan honored Indian pilot Smit Machchhar and the Flydubai crew for their bravery during an attempted mid-air attack on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on September 30, 2026. The First Class Order of Zayed II was presented by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who praised the crew's professionalism and strong sense of responsibility. The incident occurred mid-flight when an Omani co-pilot attacked Machchhar, causing the Boeing 737 Max to plummet. Passengers and other crew members regained control of the aircraft, and it safely landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The Omani co-pilot was arrested, while Machchhar received medical treatment in Tabuk before being transferred to Abu Dhabi.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "UAE President honours flydubai crew with First Class Order of Zayed II",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/uae-president-honours-flydubai-crew-with-first-class-order-of-zayed-ii",
        "published": "2026-10-27T18:07:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Captain Smit Machchhar, flydubai crew honoured by UAE President for mid-air heroism",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-crew-honoured-by-uae-president-for",
        "published": "2026-10-28T02:09:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}