Mumbai, Oct 2 (IANS): Bollywood celebrities Shilpa Shetty and Jackie Shroff, among others, have praised Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage during a mid-air crisis aboard a Flydubai flight, after his actions helped save the lives of passengers and crew onboard.
Captain Machchhar was piloting Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv when he was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot inside the cockpit. Despite sustaining serious injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene and overpower the attacker. The aircraft later made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Reports said 174 passengers were onboard, with everyone landing safely.
Reacting to the incident, Shilpa expressed her support for those affected and praised the captain for his actions. “Heart goes out to everyone affected. And immense respect for Captain Smit Machchhar for bringing over 170 lives to safety,” she wrote.
Actor Jackie Shroff also paid tribute to the captain and others involved in averting the tragedy. “Some heroes work in silence! All my respects to Captain Smit Machchhar and the other brave heroes for saving lives and averting a massive tragedy,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with actors R. Madhavan, Paresh Rawal, Sonam Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Vijay Deverakonda, took to social media to commend Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his bravery.
PM tweeted, “Captain Smit Machchhar has shown the world the highest form of courage. Without fearing for his own life, he fought valiantly and prevented another 9/11 like attack from happening. 140 crore Indians salute Captain Smit and are praying for his well-being.”
According to reports, Machchhar was taken to the hospital for surgery following the incident and is currently said to be in stable condition while undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia. A Mumbai native, he is a commercial pilot with more than 10 years of experience flying Boeing 737 aircraft.
