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'Captain Smit Machchhar making steady progress’: Indian embassy gives health update on flydubai hero
Machchhar, who was seriously wounded after his co-pilot attacked him mid-flight, was shifted from Saudi to Abu Dhabi for treatment.
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Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar is making “steady progress” and is “regaining his health”, the Indian Embassy in United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday. Machchhar, who was attacked by his Omani co-pilot on Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, was able to open the cockpit door of the aircraft to let passengers in.
The passengers then restrained the co-pilot and a dentist gave Machchhar medical assistance. A second set of pilots took control and the flight, which had 174 passengers onboard, landed safely in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk. Machchhar, who was seriously wounded in the attack, was shifted to Abu Dhabi in UAE for further treatment.
In an update last week, India’s ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, had said that Machchhar was recovering well and “smiling, laughing, chatting” at the hospital in Abu Dhabi. Mittal met Machchhar and his family at the hospital and said the pilot was in a stable condition and receiving good medical care.
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Dubai Crown Prince's visit to Machchhar
Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the deputy Prime Minister of UAE, called on the Indian pilot on October 3 and praised his “courage and responsibility”.
Al Maktoum said Machchhar had “embodied high degrees of courage”, and conveyed the UAE leadership's “appreciation” to the Indian pilot.
“We are proud that he is part of our team… part of the story of our nation… and part of what the UAE stands for… a nation of compassion… a nation of peace… and a nation of life,” the Crown Prince said in a post on X.
PM Modi, Israel's Netanyahu speak to Machchhar on video call
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Captain Machchhar and praised the Indian pilot for his courage, presence of mind and composure. chchhar through a video call and told him that his actions had saved everyone on board the flight.
“If you hadn’t done what you did, who knows what people would have said about Indian pilots or how Indian pilots would have been seen. You have saved everyone. You have done something massive,” the prime minister said on a video call with Machchhar.
ALSO READ | Flydubai incident exposes lapses in pilot vetting, cockpit security and intelligence
During the emotional conversation, Machchhar told how he recited the Hanuman Chalisa while facing the difficult situation aboard the flight. He said receiving the call from PM Modi had made him extremely proud and that he had never imagined he would get an opportunity to speak with him.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke to the injured pilot and praised Machchhar. Netanyahu invited the Indian pilot and PM Modi to light a flame during Israel’s Independence Day ceremony next year.
