Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, who fought off an attack from his co-pilot inside the cockpit of a flydubai plane, will receive Israel’s highest bravery award for civilians, President Isaac Herzog has said.
President Herzog on Thursday (October 8, 2026) presented the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism to six individuals who were on board the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026. Mr. Machchhar’s “sheer courage and bravery and sound professionalism helped avert this catastrophe.
“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,” Mr. Herzog said during the ceremony that took place at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. Once he regains strength, it will be my honour and privilege to award him, on behalf of the people of Israel, the State of Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism,” he said.
The Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism is Israel’s highest civilian award for heroism. He went on to praise the heroes of flight 1073 for their “simple, human, and profoundly Israeli act: At the moment when a choice had to be made – you chose life.
Established by President Herzog after October 7th, it expresses the State of Israel’s recognition of individuals who acted with exceptional heroism, at real risk to their own lives, out of mutual responsibility, and in order to save human life, according to the President’s Office. The award was presented to Tali Manes, Zvika Manes, Yaniv Hayoun, Shota Musayev, Asaf Rajuan, and Or Pardilov during the ceremony for their role in preventing the would-be hijacker from crashing the plane, the President’s Office said. President Herzog said, “There is a profound lesson we must draw from this remarkable story: 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.”
For all of this, I award you today the President’s Medal for Civilian Bravery,” Jerusalem Post reported.
