US and India Honor Pilot After Mid-Air Hijacking Attempt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of the U.S. House of Representatives have honored flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar for his actions during a hijacking attempt on September 30. While piloting flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Machchhar was attacked in the cockpit with an emergency crash axe by Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. The struggle caused the aircraft to drop 16,000 feet in two minutes.

Despite sustaining critical injuries, including a skull fracture, Machchhar unlatched the cockpit door. This allowed off-duty pilots, crew, and passengers to enter and restrain al-Hammami. The aircraft eventually made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all 180 people on board safe. Al-Hammami, who allegedly intended to fly the plane into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, is currently detained in the United Arab Emirates.

In India, Rajya Sabha member Kartikeya Sharma urged the government to award Machchhar the Ashok Chakra, the nation's highest peacetime gallantry award. During a Seva Bharat event, Modi described Machchhar as a "HERO" and used the incident to promote a vision for India-made aircraft. Simultaneously, U.S. lawmakers Josh Gottheimer, Don Bacon, and Michael McCaul introduced a bipartisan resolution in the House of Representatives to honor Machchhar's courage and condemn the attack as a threat to international civil aviation.