NEW DELHI: The Gujarat government on Thursday announced that they will award Indian pilot Smit Machchhar with the ‘Visisht Gujarat Garima Award’ for fighting his copilot who allegedly planned to crash the plane that was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv.Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his Omani co-pilot while fighting him in the cockpit, but fought back and was severely injured. The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with all the passengers safe.“The courage of Captain Smit Machchhar, the pilot of the flight headed to Israel, is being saluted by the entire world today. Despite being drenched in blood due to the attack, he displayed indomitable bravery to save the lives of 174 passengers—a feat that is profoundly inspiring and commendable,” said Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel on X.“This valiant son of Gujarat has illuminated the name of Gujarat and the nation across the globe through his heroism. The Gujarati spirit flowing in his veins fills us all with immense pride. To honor his extraordinary act of bravery and humanity, the Government of Gujarat will bestow upon Captain Smit Machhar the ‘Visisht Gujarat Garima Award’,” he added.Further praying for his swift recovery, the CM said, “The empathy and prayers of the nation’s citizens are with Captain Smit Machchhar.”Captain Smit Machchhar has been hailed for his courage after being stabbed by his Omani co-pilot during the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump among those praising his actions. PM Modi said Machchhar had shown “remarkable patience, presence of mind, and courage” and described him as a “HERO”, saying his valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a major tragedy.Netanyahu also saluted Machchhar for his “extraordinary bravery”, saying that despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, opened the cockpit door and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. Trump similarly called the Indian pilot “a hero”, saying that even while badly wounded, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door and call for help.
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Read more: PM Modi heaps praise on flydubai pilot Captain MachchharCaptain Smit Machchhar, a Mumbaikar from Ghatkopar, is a commercial pilot who trained in New Zealand for his commercial pilot licence and later completed his Boeing 737 type rating at FSTC in Manesar, Gurgaon. He worked with SpiceJet for about a decade before joining flydubai in 2022.Machchhar, who is in his mid-30s, comes from a family with aviation ties, with his brother also working as a flydubai pilot. Friends and former colleagues describe him as a calm, decent and hardworking professional who was always willing to learn. He is currently recovering after being injured in the cockpit attack.Read more: How Indian pilot Smit Machchhar stopped Omani co-pilot from crashing plane
