UAE honours Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for foiling cockpit attack
The flydubai captain, attacked with a crash axe by his co-pilot on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, and his crew received the First Class Order of Zayed II.
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UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has conferred the First Class Order of Zayed II on Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and his flydubai crew.
On September 30, Machchhar was attacked with a crash axe by his co-pilot on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with more than 170 people on board.
Despite his injuries, he opened the cockpit door, letting passengers and crew overpower the co-pilot; the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.