flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar to be honoured with ‘Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award’, receive Rs 25 lakh for averting tragedy

The Gujarat government will honour flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar with the lsquoVishisht Gujarat Garima Awardrsquo for his courageous role in helping avert a major tragedy aboard a DubaiTel Aviv flight Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced on ThursdayPatel said Machchhar despite being wounded and bleeding following an alleged attack inside the cockpit displayed extraordinary courage and helped save the lives of all 174 passengers aboard the flightIn a post on social media platform X Patel said the world is saluting the captainrsquos courage and described his actions as ldquoextremely inspiring and commendablerdquo 174 hellipmdash Bhupendra Patel Bhupendrapbjp October 1 2026The Chief Minister said Machchhar who is of Gujarati origin had brought pride to Gujarat and the country through his braveryldquoTo honour his extraordinary bravery and act of humanity the Gujarat government will honour Captain Smit Machchhar with the lsquoVishisht Gujarat Garima Awardrsquordquo Patel statedHe added that the entire state is praying for Machchharrsquos speedy recoveryAs per the latest updates Machchhar is being airlifted to Abu Dhabi for further treatmentFlydubai Captain Smit Machchhar who was stabbed by his copilot during the midair cockpit attack is being airlifted to Abu Dhabi for further treatment pictwittercom3gLaqKfVwemdash ANI ANI October 1 2026Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi also announced the award in a post on X saying that despite being ldquogravely injuredrdquo in the attack Machchhar displayed extraordinary courage and saved 174 livesldquoGujarat honours Captain Smit Machchhar with the lsquoVishisht Gujarat Garima Awardrsquordquo Sanghavi said adding that the world saluted his bravery and Gujarat is proud of its ldquobrave sonrdquo httpstcoOVcGo5Qozlmdash Harsh Sanghavi sanghaviharsh October 1 2026Gujarat govt announces Rs 25lakh cash rewardSources in the Chief Ministerrsquos Office CMO confirmed to IANS that the state government has also announced a Rs 25lakh cash reward for Machchhar in recognition of his actionsThe announcement comes a day after Machchhar was involved in a dramatic incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating from Dubai to Tel AvivThe aircraft was carrying 174 passengers including 27 children when the copilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpitThe aircraft subsequently experienced a sharp descent before being diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landing safelyDespite his injuries Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door allowing passengers and crew members to enter and help subdue the attackerTwo passengers then helped take control of the aircraft which was safely landed in TabukPM Modi Netanyahu praise injured Flydubai captainThe incident has drawn international attention with Prime Minister Narendra Modi PM and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among those publicly praising Machchharrsquos actionsPM Modi on Thursday also spoke to Machchharrsquos family and described the injured pilot as a ldquoherordquo whose courage helped avert a major tragedyMachchhar has more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and nearly 9750 flying hoursHe joined flydubai as a captain in June 2022 after spending more than 11 years with SpiceJet where he served as a commander and line training captain Machchhar is currently recovering in Saudi Arabia following the incidentThe circumstances surrounding the cockpit attack and the motive of the copilot remain under investigationflydubai has confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and that the matter is being investigatedWith IANS inputs