Indian Captain Smit Machchhar to receive Israel’s top civilian bravery award
Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, who fought off an attack by his co-pilot inside the cockpit of a flydubai aircraft, will receive Israel’s highest civilian bravery award, President Isaac Herzog has announced.
Herzog made the announcement on Thursday while presenting the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism to six people who were aboard a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026.
“Alongside the Israeli heroes whom we honour today, we send our heartfelt wishes for the full and speedy recovery of Captain Smit Machchhar of India,” Herzog said during the ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
Machchhar’s “sheer courage and bravery and sound professionalism helped avert this catastrophe”, Herzog said. He added that it would be his “honour and privilege” to present the award to the Indian captain once he had recovered.
The Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism is Israel’s highest civilian honour for heroism. Established by Herzog after the October 7, 2023, attacks, it recognises individuals who display exceptional courage while risking their lives to save others, according to the President’s Office.
The award was presented to Tali Manes, Zvika Manes, Yaniv Hayoun, Shota Musayev, Asaf Rajuan and Or Pardilov for their roles in preventing an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft.
Praising the six recipients, Herzog said they had responded with a “simple, human, and profoundly Israeli act” when faced with a critical choice, adding that they had chosen life.
On September 30, Machchhar helped avert a potential disaster aboard flydubai Flight 1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with passengers and crew on board.
The Indian captain was allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot, Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, in an apparent attempt to crash the aircraft. Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene and subdue the attacker. The aircraft subsequently made a safe emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar, who has been praised by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is recovering at a hospital in the United Arab Emirates.
Herzog said the incident demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in confronting terrorism.
“Just as people from different nations joined forces to save that aircraft, so too must the international community stand united against the global threat of terror,” he said.
Referring to the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Herzog said the country had learned through painful sacrifice what it meant to face an existential threat. He stressed that confronting such threats required foresight, determination and international cooperation.
He also expressed confidence in the investigation being conducted by the United Arab Emirates into the incident.
