Sporting visible scars, hero flydubai pilot honored by president of UAE

Smit Machchhar, the flydubai pilot who helped thwart a terror attack aboard a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv a month ago, was honored with a medal by the president of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded Machchhar and the rest of the crew with the First Class Order of Zayed II, “in recognition of their courageous efforts to ensure the safety of passengers,” his office said.

It added that the president praised “the crew’s courage and professionalism in ensuring the safety of passengers and securing the aircraft, affirming that protecting people’s safety and security remains a top priority for the UAE.”

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The scars on the back of Machchhar’s head were clearly visible during his meeting with the UAE president.

Machchhar has previously recounted how he was struck in the back of the head with an emergency axe by his co-pilot, Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, and struggled to shield himself from the blows and open the cockpit door to allow others to come inside to halt the attack.

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During the September 30 incident, the airliner plunged 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) in 30 seconds. It is thought that once he realized his plan to reach Tel Aviv was lost, Hammami put the plane into a dive in an attempt to crash it.

Several passengers intervened to subdue him.

Two off-duty pilots aboard the flight helped regain control and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before a replacement aircraft returned passengers to Tel Aviv.

In a video from the UAE event on Tuesday, which was attended by a row of Emirati officials, the president was heard asking Machchhar how long his arm, in a cast, was expected to take to heal.

“Two months,” the pilot replied.

“I have an idea. When you heal, I’m going to have a session with you to train you how to fight,” responded the Emirati leader, with a smile.

Machchhar has also been lauded by Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu writing shortly after the event that the Indian pilot “saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has celebrated Machchhar as a “hero.”

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