Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, called on Smit Machchhar on Saturday and praised the flydubai pilot’s “courage and responsibility”
Al Maktoum said Machchhar had “embodied high degrees of courage”, and conveyed the UAE leadership’s “appreciation” to the Indian pilot.
In a post on X, Al Maktoum shared a photograph of his visit and wrote, “During a visit to Captain Smit Machchhar… the flydubai pilot who embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life. Gargash added, “The Indian pilot deserves every bit of appreciation, for he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility in the face of a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster. His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest of circumstances make him a true hero.”
“From us, and from the leadership of the nation, he has our full appreciation and praise,” the UAE deputy PM said. The advisor to the UAE president, Anwar Gargash, had earlier described the attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 as a “terrorist act”, and praised Machchhar for his actions during the mid-air crisis. “Vigilance and precaution are necessary in the face of extremism and terrorism,” the UAE official said in a post on X as he underscored the need for heightened alertness following the incident.
