Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has been honoured by the United Arab Emirates along with his flydubai crew, and the ceremony has offered the first close-up view of the head injury he suffered during a mid-air attack last month.
Images from the event show a line of stitches running across Machchhar's skull. The pilot was struck with a crash axe inside the cockpit by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, which left him with a compound depressed skull fracture.
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UAE's Top Civil Honour For The Crew
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded the First Class Order of Zayed II to Captain Machchhar and his fellow crew members for protecting passengers during an attempted attack on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
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The medals were handed over at a presidential reception by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Dubai Media Office said the Crown Prince praised the crew for their conduct and sense of duty.
What Happened On Board
The attack took place on September 30 on flydubai flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people on board. Machchhar's co-pilot turned on him with the crash axe, a tool normally kept in the cockpit for emergencies, leaving him badly hurt. It is still not known why the co-pilot carried out the attack.
According to Israeli officials, the co-pilot, al-Hammami, is an Omani national. After stabbing Machchhar, he put the aircraft into a steep dive, with the plane losing close to 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds. Lying bleeding on the cockpit floor, Machchhar used what was left of his strength to release the lock on the cockpit door.
Once the door was open, passengers and crew restrained the co-pilot. Two other flydubai pilots who were travelling on the flight then took control and landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
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Machchhar was first treated at a hospital in Tabuk before being shifted to Abu Dhabi. During his treatment, Crown Prince Hamdan visited him in hospital, lauded his bravery in preventing a possible tragedy and shared pictures of the meeting on X.
More Honours For The Pilot
The UAE award adds to a string of recognitions for Machchhar. The Gujarat government has presented him with the Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award, while the Israeli government has proposed him for a Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism.
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