flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar recovering well after cockpit attack, says MEA

Captain Smit Machchhar is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital after surgery following the attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073. His account of unlocking the cockpit door despite severe injuries has become central to investigations and public praise.Captain Smit Machchhar. (File Photo: ITG)Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who suffered severe injuries while helping prevent an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai aircraft last month, is recovering well in hospital and showing signs of steady improvement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.Providing an update on his condition, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Machchhar remains under medical care in Abu Dhabi and is responding positively after undergoing surgery."Captain Machchhar is in a hospital in Abu Dhabi. Our Embassy in the UAE has been in regular touch with his family, his doctors, the hospital and local authorities," Jaiswal said during his weekly media briefing."According to the information available to us, his health is improving. He is in the stage of recuperation after the operation and is responding well," he added. The update comes a week after the dramatic events aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073, when Machchhar was critically injured during an alleged attack by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami on a Tel Aviv-bound flight carrying more than 170 passengers and crew.PILOT CREDITED WITH HELPING AVERT CATASTROPHEInvestigators believe the incident unfolded inside the cockpit after the co-pilot attacked Machchhar with a crash axe, leaving him with a fractured skull and serious injuries to his head and hands. Despite the injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to rush in and overpower the co-pilot. The move is widely seen as a turning point that prevented a far greater tragedy.The aircraft later issued emergency signals and diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after experiencing a series of sharp descents during the mid-air struggle.According to reports, the aircraft plunged more than 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds during one of the dives before eventually stabilising. Two off-duty flydubai pilots who were travelling on the flight later helped bring the aircraft safely to the ground.'I WAS NOT GOING TO LET OTHERS DIE'Machchhar, a Gujarat-born pilot, was airlifted to the United Arab Emirates after receiving initial treatment in Saudi Arabia.In a recent conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he recalled the final moments before passengers entered the cockpit."I was of course fighting for my own life, but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die," Machchhar told the Prime Minister.He later told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his vision had been severely affected by the attack, but he made one final effort to reach and unlock the cockpit door."I thought I am going to die... I gave everything that I had and just went for the door and opened," he said.Machchhar has since been hailed as a hero in both India and Israel for his role in helping save the lives of the 174 people aboard the aircraft.INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION UNDERWAYThe United Arab Emirates has launched an investigation into the incident, with Saudi authorities having conducted the initial inquiry after the emergency landing.Israeli authorities have also indicated they may participate in the investigation.Questions remain about how the attack unfolded, what weapon was used and how close the aircraft came to disaster during the cockpit struggle. Investigators are also examining security and screening procedures that allowed the Omani co-pilot to operate flights into Israel.- Ends