Iranian President Isaac Herzog sent a letter to flydubai hero Smit Machchhar, who fought off an attack by his co-pilot mid-air and averted a potential hijacking incident, urging him to visit Jerusalem and collect the State of Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism.
The Presidential Award is Israel’s highest civilian award.
Calling the flydubai captain, who is still recovering from his injuries at a Dubai hospital, a “hero” to India, Israel and the world, Herzog said he looks forward to welcoming him in Jerusalem as he “regains” his strength.
“On behalf of the people of Israel, I would be honoured to present you with Israel’s highest recognition of civilian heroism, the Israeli Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism,” he wrote in a post on X.
The Israeli President posted a picture of Machchhar reading the letter, and a snap of the letter itself.
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I write to express our deepest gratitude for your exceptional courage and determination in steering your aircraft to safety and averting a certain catastrophe for all the innocent passengers on board,” the letter reads.
Calling the sequence of events inside the flydubai aircraft no less than a “thriller”, he acknowledged the “the true sense of terror and grave urgency that overwhelmed the cockpit” as Machchhar struggled for his life.
The flydubai captain had earlier told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the co-pilot who attacked him repeatedly struck him from behind with the cockpit’s emergency axe. He had to undergo brain surgery as a result.
“Your ability to find the strength to rise above the pain, to combat the immediate threat to your life, and to operate sound judgment demonstrates the strength of your character and the great valor you possess,” Herzog said, adding that Machchhar will become a part of Israel’s history.
“We all share heartfelt prayers for your full and speedy recovery, and I look forward, once you have regained strength, to welcoming you to Jerusalem and expressing the appreciation and the love of our grateful nation,” he wrote in the letter.
According to preliminary investigations, the Omani co-pilot confessed that he had originally planned to take control of flydubai Flight FZ1073 and crash it into the passenger terminal of Tel Aviv’s international airport.
Captain Machchhar’s bravery, and his act of opening the cockpit door to allow passengers to barge in and take control of the aircraft, saved the day.
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