UAE Awards Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar Top Civilian Honour for Averting Mid-Air Attack on FZ1073

On Tuesday, Captain Smit Machchhar of Flydubai, still being treated for injuries from a cockpit attack, was awarded the First-Class Order of Zayed II, one of the UAE's highest civilian honours. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan conferred it on Machchhar and the crew of Flight FZ1073. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, presented it.

The flight in question left Dubai for Tel Aviv on September 30. It never reached Israel. After a serious incident on the flight deck, it was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Machchhar was injured. Crew members, off-duty pilots and passengers helped bring the situation under control, and the aircraft landed safely. The source gives two different totals for those aboard: 172 passengers and crew in one passage, 180 occupants in another. Either way, all of them were reported safe.

Machchhar described what happened in an interview with The National, the UAE's state-owned newspaper. His account is the main basis for the reconstruction of the attack. He said the first blow made him think part of the aircraft's structure had fallen on his head, and it nearly pushed him onto the control column. When the blows kept coming, he realised the attacker was the co-pilot, the person he had expected to be on his team.

He said he first tried to free himself from his seat belts and to block the blows, which were landing on his head. His vision narrowed until he could see only outlines. His hand went to the knob that opens the cockpit door, and he screamed for his colleagues. He believes that was when he first lost consciousness, falling face down in the cockpit.

As the aircraft dropped 17,000 feet, he said, the worst thing he heard and felt was the engines spooling down. The report says the co-pilot attacked him with an axe in an attempt to bring the plane down. Machchhar managed to unlatch the cockpit door, which let passengers and off-duty crew enter and restrain the co-pilot. A hijacking distress signal was transmitted, and the flight diverted to an emergency landing in Tabuk. The report says passengers helped land the plane, but gives no further detail.

At Tuesday's meeting, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received the crew in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The leaders praised the crew's courage and sense of responsibility, and said protecting human safety and security is the UAE's highest priority.

Sheikh Hamdan, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, had earlier visited Machchhar while he was being treated. In a post on X, he called him a pilot who embodied courage, responsibility and care for human life, and said he was proud Machchhar was part of the nation's story. He described the UAE as a nation of compassion, peace and life.

Machchhar himself spoke of aviation. Asked whether the ordeal had ended his love for flying, he answered, "Not at all," and said he was glad he had been able to do his part.

The recognition is not confined to the UAE. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced he will confer Israel's Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism. The account of the attack still rests largely on the captain's own telling, so further official findings on the incident are what to watch for.