UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded the First Class Order of Zayed II to flydubai captain Smit Machhchar and the crew in recognition of their bravery during the September 30 flight bound for Tel Aviv.
The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy chairman of the presidential court for development and fallen heroes’ affairs; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the dubai civil aviation authority, chairman of dubai airports, and chairman and chief executive of emirates airline and group; along with several other officials, HT reported earlier. During the interaction, the President asked Machchhar about how long his injuries will take to heal, and later suggested that he would like to train him how to fight. “So I have an idea. The UAE President was then seen examining Machchhar’s head injury and the stitches. Later in the video, he and the Indian pilot could be seen chatting and sharing a laugh.
When you heal, I want to have a session with you to train you how to fight,” Zayed Al Nahyan said. In a video of the ceremony that surfaced, the President told the crew that, no matter what happens in their lives, the UAE will always be their home. “There is a home for you here, and you have a family,” he said.
