New Delhi/Dubai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected with Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who sustained serious injuries while successfully preventing a major mid-air disaster on a flydubai flight, through a video call on Friday and praised his bravery.
The Prime Minister also wished him speedy recovery during the nine-minute call.
According to Aaj Tak, Captain Machchhar was overwhelmed and said that he had never expected a call from the Prime Minister. According to the report, the pilot said that he was reciting the Hanuman Chalisa even during that extremely difficult period.
Prime Minister Modi also reportedly spoke about Machchhar’s mother Gitaben, telling him that she had given him the right life lessons.
The Indian pilot, who is currently recovering at a hospital in UAE, shared his personal experience and explained what gave him courage during the incident.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister had spoken to the wife and parents of the pilot. He had then assured full support from Indian missions for Machchhar and his family.
In an earlier post on X, PM Modi had praised Machchhar and called him a “hero”. He had commended his “immense courage” and “valor” and said that India is proud of him.
“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO. In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar,” he wrote.
PM Modi heaped further praise on him, saying “an Indian prevented 9/11-style tragedy.”
“The incident that occurred yesterday, Captain Smit of India demonstrated remarkable patience, presence of mind, and courage; indeed, as the Prime Minister of Israel stated today, an Indian prevented a 9/11-style tragedy,” PM Modi said on Thursday, while speaking at the centenary celebrations of the Union Public Service Commission.
On Wednesday, while in charge of the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Machchhar displayed extreme courage and presence of mind after realising that his co-pilot planned to crash the aircraft. Even after sustaining severe injuries, he successfully unlocked the cockpit door, allowing the crew and passengers to step in and avert a major disaster.
At the time, the Boeing 737, cruising at about 34,000 feet, began dropping at roughly 23,000 feet per minute before reaching about 15,600 feet.
Captain Machchhar is a seasoned pilot with more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and around 9,750 total flying hours, predominantly operating Boeing 737 aircraft. Before joining flydubai, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, where he served as a Line Training Captain.
Meanwhile, flydubai has temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel as an investigation into Wednesday’s mid-air incident is underway, the airline said, as reported by NDTV.
