‘Mumbai’s son, a true hero’: CM Fadnavis, President Murmu, Yuvraj Singh hail Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar

From Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to President Droupadi Murmu Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag tributes have poured in for Mumbai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar after his extraordinary actions during a violent cockpit attack on Flydubai Flight FZ1073Machchhar was allegedly stabbed by his copilot while flying the DubaiTel Aviv route on Wednesday yet continued to act in the midst of the emergency as passengers and crew fought to regain control of the aircraft Israeli officials have described the incident as an apparent attempt to crash the Boeing 737 while an investigation into the attack and its motive is underwayFadnavis hails Mumbai pilotrsquos courageMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis praised Machchhars actions in a post on XldquoSuper proud of our Mumbais son Captain Smit Machchhar a true HERO mdash who saved hundreds of lives in such an exceptional and extraordinary mannerrdquo Fadnavis saidSalute Super proud of our Mumbairsquos son Captain Smit Machchhar a true HERO mdash who saved hundreds of lives in such an exceptional and extraordinary manner Despite being ghastly injured the presence of mind and courage showed by Smit during flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv ishellipmdash Devendra Fadnavis Dev_Fadnavis October 1 2026He praised Machchhars presence of mind despite his injuries and also saluted the passengers who worked together to handle the emergencyldquoWishing Smit a very speedy recovery and good health You are an inspiration Maharashtra amp India is proud of yourdquo he addedPresident Murmu salutes MachchharPresident Droupadi Murmu also praised the pilots courage saying the nation was proud of MachchharThe nation is proud of Captain Smit Machchhar His heroic courage and incredible presence of mind have deeply touched us allEven after being seriously injured in a moment of grave peril he remained determined to protect the lives of others His bravery and quick responsehellipmdash President of India rashtrapatibhvn October 1 2026ldquoThe nation is proud of Captain Smit Machchhar His heroic courage and incredible presence of mind have deeply touched us allrdquo Murmu saidShe noted that Machchhar continued to act to protect others despite being seriously injured and wished him a speedy recoveryPM Modi speaks to pilotrsquos familyPrime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Machchhars wife and parents and praised his bravery according to the statement shared after the incidentModi also said Indian missions were providing all possible assistance following the emergencyPM Modi has spoken to the wife and parents of Captain Smit Machchhar The PM applauded the bravery of Captain Smit which saved hundreds of lives PM also stressed that Indian missions are providing all possible help GoI sources pictwittercomEYLEFxhiC7mdash ANI ANI October 1 2026Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately praised Machchhar saying that despite being stabbed and seriously injured the captain fought back and opened the cockpit door allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attackerRajnath Singh praises lsquoextraordinary couragersquoUnion Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also paid tribute to Machchhar saying the captain had put his own life at risk while helping protect those on boardThe nation stands with Captain Smit Machchhar and takes immense pride in his extraordinary couragePutting his own life on the line he upheld the highest traditions of duty and service helping protect the lives of everyone on boardHis courage composure and sense of dutyhellipmdash Rajnath Singh rajnathsingh October 1 2026ldquoThe nation stands with Captain Smit Machchhar and takes immense pride in his extraordinary couragerdquo Singh saidHe praised the pilots composure and sense of duty and wished him a speedy and complete recoveryMEA praises pilotrsquos braveryUnion External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday praised Captain Smit Machchhar for his ldquoextraordinary couragerdquo and ldquoremarkable presence of mindrdquo saying the pilotrsquos actions had saved hundreds of lives and averted a major tragedyCaptain Smit Machchharrsquos extraordinary courage and remarkable presence of mind even in the face of grave danger saved hundreds of lives yesterday and averted a major tragedyJoin the countless voices from across the world in saluting his valour and praying for his speedyhellipmdash Dr S Jaishankar DrSJaishankar October 1 2026Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also praised Machchhars actionsWe salute the bravery of Captain Smit Machchhar who inspite of being gravely injured showed remarkable courage that saved the lives of many He is receiving medical attention and is safe We wish and pray for his speedy recovery The nation proudly stands with him and hishellipmdash Randhir Jaiswal MEAIndia October 1 2026ldquoWe salute the bravery of Captain Smit Machchhar who despite being gravely injured showed remarkable courage that saved the lives of manyrdquo Jaiswal saidHe added that Machchhar was receiving medical attention and was safe while wishing him a speedy recoveryCricketers hail Machchharrsquos courageFormer India cricketer Yuvraj Singh praised Machchhars courage saying his actions during the emergency showed extraordinary braverySome moments show you what a person is truly made ofCaptain Smit Machchhar showed extraordinary courage in the face of grave danger putting the lives of others before his own despite being seriously injuredThat kind of courage deserves the deepest respectWishing himhellip pictwittercomeSSZwohAysmdash Yuvraj Singh YUVSTRONG12 October 1 2026ldquoCaptain Smit Machchhar showed extraordinary courage in the face of grave danger putting the lives of others before his own despite being seriously injuredrdquo Singh saidFormer India opener Virender Sehwag also praised Machchhar saying the captains actions helped passengers and crew intervene during the cockpit attackCaptain Smit Machchhar captain of flydubai Flight 1073 fought back after being stabbed in the cockpitDespite being severely injured he managed to unlock the cockpit door allowing passengers and the crew to intervene and save all the passengers His extraordinary couragehellip pictwittercomh1ebH9KVznmdash Virrender Sehwag virendersehwag October 1 2026Sehwag said Machchhars courage and resolve helped save lives and wished him a speedy recoverySpiceJet remembers former colleagueSpiceJet where Machchhar previously worked also paid tribute to its former captainldquoOur heartfelt prayers and deepest respect go out to Captain Smit Machchhar for his heroic courage aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073rdquo the airline said in a post on XOur heartfelt prayers and deepest respect go out to Captain Smit Machchhar for his heroic courage aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073Your heroism saved countless lives todayCaptain Smit worked at SpiceJet for more than 10 years His courage and selfless actions are a truehellipmdash SpiceJet flyspicejet October 1 2026The airline said Machchhar had worked with SpiceJet for more than 10 years and described his actions as an embodiment of the values it heldKharge salutes pilot crew and passengersCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge also praised Machchhar the crew and passengers who intervened during the emergencyI salute Indian Captain Smit Machchhar the crew and all who showed extraordinary courage and presence of mind under attack helping save precious lives Wishing Captain Machchhar a swift and full recovery pictwittercom87QasXgxj9mdash Mallikarjun Kharge kharge October 1 2026ldquoI salute Indian Captain Smit Machchhar the crew and all who showed extraordinary courage and presence of mind under attack helping save precious livesrdquo Kharge said while wishing the captain a swift and full recoveryInvestigation underwayAuthorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the cockpit attack and the motive behind it Israeli officials have described the incident as an apparent attempt to crash the aircraft while Flydubai has cautioned against speculation as the investigation continuesFor the passengers aboard Flight FZ1073 the emergency ended with a safe landing in Saudi Arabia after a sequence of events that put the captain crew and passengers in an extraordinary fight to regain control of the aircraft