Abu Dhabi: Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was conferred the First Class Order of Zayed II, a top civilian honour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He became the third Indian to receive this prestigious honour after two diplomats.
Capt Machchhar was honoured for the role he played in saving the lives of nearly 184 passengers of a flydubai flight on September 30. The plane was on its way from Dubai to Tel Aviv in Israel when the co-pilot attempted to seize control and crash it into a building in the Israeli capital.
Despite being seriously injured, the Indian pilot fought back and managed to open the cockpit door. This allowed passengers and crew members to overpower the co-pilot.
During all of this, the aircraft had plumetted 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. Off-duty pilots of the airline, who were among the passengers, succeeded in stabilizing the aircraft and landed it safely in Saudi Arabia.
Capt Machchhar and other flydubai crew members were honoured by UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on October 27. The awards were presented by Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in recognition of their actions during the cockpit attack, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The two Indian diplomats who previously received the First Class Order of Zayed II are Navdeep Singh Suri and Sunjay Sudhir, both of whom served as India’s ambassador to the UAE.
While Suri received UAE top honour in 2019, Sudhir received it in 2025. Both were honoured for strengthening ties between India and the UAE while serving as ambassadors.
The First Class Order of Zayed II is a high-level UAE civilian decoration generally awarded to foreign diplomats, senior officials and distinguished international figures for their service and contributions. The honour is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding president, who ruled from 1971 until his death in 2004.
It is distinct from the Order of Zayed, the UAE’s highest civilian decoration, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi received in August 2019.