By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has emerged as an international hero after his extraordinary courage, even after being seriously stabbed, helped prevent a potential mid-air catastrophe aboard a Flydubai flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Machchhar was piloting the Flydubai Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon that suddenly plunged the aircraft to lose sharp 14000 feet height before miraculously landing safely in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar’s heroic actions were the crucial first step in saving the aircraft: despite being seriously wounded, he opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the attacker and regain access to the controls. An Israeli passenger then helped pull the attacker away from the controls, while two off-duty flydubai pilots on board subsequently took over the cockpit and safely diverted the aircraft to Tabuk.
Machchhar was taken to hospital and was reported to be in stable condition. Two off-duty flydubai pilots travelling as passengers also helped regain control of the aircraft and land it safely.
The bravery of the Indian captain has drawn praise from leaders in India, Israel and the US.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Machchhar’s courage, saying that despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others.
“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others,” Modi said. “His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar.”
US President Donald Trump also praised the Indian pilot. Trump said he had discussed the incident with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described Machchhar as a hero.
“The pilot was in very bad shape; I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero,” Trump said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier paid tribute to Machchhar for his “extraordinary bravery”, saying the captain fought back after being stabbed, opened the cockpit door and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.
Netanyahu said Machchhar’s actions helped save all 174 people aboard, including Israeli citizens and nationals of other countries.
Machchhar’s journey to the cockpit was itself unconventional. A Mumbaikar from a family associated with the textile business, he initially studied textile engineering and was expected to eventually join the family business. He later developed an interest in aviation after attending an aviation seminar when he was about 19 and decided to pursue a career as a commercial pilot.
He underwent his commercial pilot training in New Zealand, spending about 18 months training at Mainland Air in Dunedin. He subsequently completed his Boeing 737 type training at the Flight Safety Training Centre (FSTC) in Manesar, Gurugram, before beginning his airline career.
Machchhar joined SpiceJet in 2011 and spent about 11 years with the airline, rising to become a senior commander and Line Training Captain. He joined flydubai in 2022 as a direct-entry captain. Reports say he has logged nearly 9,750 flying hours, including experience on Boeing 737 aircraft.
Bravo. No words to express heart felt appreciation.
Bhart government must award him gallantry award