Dubai crown prince meets hero flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar, says 'Highest degrees of courage'

UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum on Saturday visited Indian flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar in Abu Dhabi, praising his courage in saving passengers during a cockpit attack by his co-pilot.

In a post on X after the visit, Hamdan said Machchhar had shown “the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life” and conveyed the UAE leadership’s



appreciation.

“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,” Dubai's Crown Prince wrote.

Machchhar is recovering in Abu Dhabi after his Omani co-pilot attacked him with a crash axe on Wednesday’s Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, an incident the UAE has called a terrorist attack.