Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, should be considered for Ashok Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, for his extraordinary act of bravery that saved the lives of 174 people onboard, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
“Faced with an unimaginable situation in mid-air, he put the lives of others before his own and continued to act despite being seriously wounded,” Deora said in his letter to PM Modi.
Machchhar, 40, was attacked by his co-pilot while he was on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on Wednesday. Despite his wounds, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door of flight FZ-1073, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. A reserve crew on board then flew the Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying 174 people, to an emergency landing at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia.
Deep Dive
What are the actions that led to Captain Smit Machchhar being recommended for the Ashok Chakra?
Why did the Federation of Indian Pilots seek a national bravery award for Captain Machchhar?
How did Captain Machchhar manage to keep control of the flight during the attack?
PM Modi on Thursday said Machchhar had averted a “9/11-style tragedy”. On Friday, Modi spoke to the pilot, who is currently being treated at a hospital in the UAE. Machchhar gave a detailed account of the incident over a video call.
“I was fighting for my life, but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die. It was such a crucial moment. At that moment, I realised that the plane was going down. I had so many injuries. I was beaten, but I told myself that I had to get up and act. At that time, I pushed myself to open the cockpit door. The role of other people was equally important,” Machchhar said.
{{/usCountry}}“I was fighting for my life, but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die. It was such a crucial moment. At that moment, I realised that the plane was going down. I had so many injuries. I was beaten, but I told myself that I had to get up and act. At that time, I pushed myself to open the cockpit door. The role of other people was equally important,” Machchhar said.
{{/usCountry}}In his letter to PM Modi, Deora said the pilot’s courage has already been recognised not merely in India, but across the world.
“I believe that formally recognising such an act would carry significance far beyond the honour bestowed upon one individual. It would send a powerful message, particularly to our young people, that courage is not confined to the battlefield or to any particular profession. A pilot, doctor, teacher, police officer, entrepreneur, bureaucrat, politician, student or ordinary citizen may one day be called upon to put the safety and lives of others before their own. Captain Machchhar has shown the world what that kind of courage looks like,” Deora said.
Indian Air Force Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who created history by becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), was awarded the Ashoka Chakra in 2026.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has also asked the government to consider the Machchhar for a National Bravery Award for his conduct during the in-flight emergency.