(Credit - X/@Isaac_Herzog)
174 Lives Saved: flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar Wins Highest Bravery Honor
Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced that flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar will receive Israel’s highest civilian bravery honor for saving 174 people during an in-flight security threat aboard a Dubai-based aircraft. The decision recognizes the Indian aviator’s actions after maintaining cockpit control and making critical decisions while injured, averting a potential catastrophe.
Presidential Honor Follows In-Flight Cockpit Defense
Machchhar will travel to Jerusalem to officially receive the Israeli Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism from Herzog once he completes his physical recovery.
In a letter sent directly to the pilot, Herzog noted that Machchhar’s defense of the flight connects his actions to the historic legacy of Indian troops who fought in the region more than a century ago.
