{
  "id": 17838435,
  "title": "UAE Honours Indian Pilot Smit Machchhar As Israel Announces Civilian Bravery Award",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/uae-honours-indian-pilot-smit-machchhar-as-israel-announces-civilian",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T17:29:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/uae-honours-indian-pilot-smit-machchhar-as-israel-announces-civilian-bravery-award"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a remarkable act of bravery, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar of flydubai flight FZ1073 has been honoured by the UAE and Israel for his courageous actions during a cockpit incident. The UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, presented the First Class Order of Zayed II to the crew members, recognizing their bravery and professionalism in protecting passengers during the emergency. Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised Machchhar's heroics, likening them to those of Indian troops who liberated cities in the Holy Land a century ago, and announced that the pilot will receive Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism once he recovers. The courageous Captain Machchhar's recovery was also celebrated with special prayers at the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, where swamis and devotees gathered to offer blessings for his speedy recovery and the strength of his family.",
  "summary": "Abu Dhabi, Nov 2: Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, has received widespread appreciation for his courage, with tributes pouring in from the UAE, India, Israel and the United States, a report has stated. It noted that while the UAE has formally honoured the Indian pilot and flight crew, Israel has recently announced plans to confer a civilian bravery award on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}