PM Modi speaks to hero Smit Machchhar on video call after flydubai plane stabbing | India News

Prime Minister Narendea Modi spoke with Captain Smit Machchhar, government sources said on Friday. PM Modi connected with the Indian pilot through a video call and praised his courage, presence of mind and composure, they said.Capt Machchhar saved 174 lives on board a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.The Flydubai flight FZ1073, a B787 MAX 8 aircraft plunged 14,300 ft in about 30 seconds over northern Saudi Arabia. It however, landed safely at Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk after two Flydubai pilots flying as passengers took control when Capt Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door.PM Modi said the entire country is praying for Smit, officials in the know of the development said.Capt. Machchhar is recovering in Abu Dhabi after he was flown to the UAE from Saudi Arabia on Thursday. It was learnt on Thursday that he was stable and was able to communicate.Officiala said that while speaking with PM Modi, Captain Smit became “quite emotional during the call and said it is a very special moment for him to speak with him.”“During the interaction, Smit told PM Modi that he is his biggest idol,” a government official said.“The PM said the country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others,” he added.Officials also said that PM Modi even spoke about Smit’s mother, Geeta Ben. “The PM said that she has raised him with the values and teachings of the Bhagavad Gita,” the official said.“Smit said receiving PM Modi’s call made him extremely proud and that he had never imagined that he would get an opportunity to speak with him,” another official said.He added that Smit shared that whenever he is in difficulty, he recites the Hanuman Chalisa. “He said he was reciting the Hanuman Chalisa during the difficult moment as well.”ALSO READ | Stabbed flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar now stable, ‘smiling and laughing’ in Abu Dhabi hospital: Envoy What happened on the flydubai flightMachchhar was the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers on board. While the aircraft was flying over Saudi Arabia, his Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed him inside the cockpit.Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar is said to have managed to unlock the cockpit door. This allowed passengers and crew to enter and overpower the attacker. A plumber then allegedly took control of the aircraft as it was nose-diving and other pilots on the plane then diverted it to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview.Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft went into a sharp descent during the incident, losing more than 14,000 feet in less than a minute. The aircraft eventually landed safely in Tabuk.ALSO READ | ‘There’s an extra pilot’, ‘sit down!’ Videos capture flydubai flight chaos after cockpit stabbingMachchhar averted ‘9/11’ style attack: ModiOn Thursday, Modi said Machchhar displayed remarkable patience, presence of mind and courage during the emergency.Speaking at an event marking the centenary of the Union Public Service Commission in New Delhi, Modi said Machchhar's actions had helped avert what he described as a “9/11-style tragedy”. The remark referred to the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, when hijacked aircraft were used to strike targets, killing nearly 3,000 people.Modi also spoke to Machchhar's wife and parents and assured them that Indian missions were providing all possible assistance, HT reported earlier.ALSO READ | ‘Amazed flydubai plane didn’t crash': Aviation experts shocked at flight surviving 16,000-feet plungePresident Droupadi Murmu also praised the pilot, saying the nation was proud of him and that his courage and presence of mind had touched people across the country.Benjamin Netanyahu likewise praised Machchhar, describing the incident as an “amazing act of heroism” and saying the actions of the Indian pilot and others on board had helped prevent a potentially major disaster.Smit Machchhar moved to UAE for treatmentMachchhar was initially taken to a hospital in Tabuk after the emergency landing. He underwent treatment there before being moved to the UAE on Thursday.The Indian mission in the UAE said it was coordinating closely with local authorities over his medical care. Ambassador Deepak Mittal met Machchhar and his family at the hospital and said the pilot was recovering well.His parents, Upendra and Gita, travelled to the UAE to be with him, while his wife Sonal and their two children were already with him.ALSO READ | ‘Stabbed Indian pilot opened cockpit door, we pinned attacker down’, passenger tells Netanyahu what happened on flydubai flightMachchhar has more than a decade of flying experience and previously worked with SpiceJet before joining Flydubai. He trained as a pilot in New Zealand.The co-pilot, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national, has not been publicly named.