The world's Smit-ten: PM to Trump, praise pours in for braveheart pilot
Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar is being hailed as a hero after successfully landing a flight following a mid-air knife attack by his co-pilot. Global leaders, including PM Narendra Modi and Donald Trump, praised his courage for preventing a potential catastrophe during the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Why it matters
The incident highlights critical aviation safety concerns and the role of pilot decision-making in preventing mass-casualty events.
Just another pilot until a day ago, flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar became the toast of India, and the world, as acclamations and tributes streamed in Thursday from US President Donald Trump, PM Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, among others, for putting his life at risk to avert a mid-air tragedy.The knife attack on Smit by the co-pilot inside the cockpit had forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Smit, 39, is recovering in Abu Dhabi.Trump hailed Smit as a "hero" for fighting off the knife attack and opening the cockpit door to call for help. "The pilot, in bad shape, had the sense to open the door. In a way he was a hero," Trump said.
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