Israeli President Isaac Herzog has invited Indian captain Smit Machchhar to Jerusalem to receive the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism after he was injured while thwarting an alleged hijack attempt aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.
The aircraft, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after the Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with a crash axe in an attempt to seize the aircraft and crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, according to UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and avert a possible catastrophe. The aircraft plunged 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) in 30 seconds during the incident. All passengers reached Israel safely later that day.
In a statement on Saturday, Herzog’s office said the president would honour Machchhar once he had recovered sufficiently to travel.
“Once Captain Machchhar regains strength, it will be my honour to award him, on behalf of the people of Israel, the State of Israel's Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism,” Herzog said.
In a letter dated October 4, Herzog expressed “deep gratitude” for the pilot’s “exceptional courage and determination” in steering the aircraft to safety. He also invited Machchhar to visit Jerusalem after recovering from his injuries.
The letter did not mention the award, which Herzog had announced earlier in the week at a ceremony honouring six Israeli citizens who were aboard the flight. The distinction for Machchhar would be a rare honour for a non-Israeli.
The UAE attorney general said the co-pilot intended to carry out a suicide attack inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Investigators found that the suspect had taken two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and the airport. He had worked for several airlines, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai in January 2026.
The attorney general’s statement did not appear to implicate flydubai in any wrongdoing. The airline was not immediately available for comment. Saudi Arabia has launched a separate safety investigation into the incident, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Herzog also drew a historical connection between the pilot’s actions and the ties between India and Israel, recalling the role of Indian troops in liberating Haifa from Ottoman forces on September 23, 1918.
“Your heroics place you in the distinguished ranks of Indian troops, who risked their lives over 100 years ago to liberate cities in the Holy Land,” Herzog wrote, adding that Machchhar would become a treasured part of Israel’s history.
Posters featuring Machchhar have appeared along major highways and at prominent locations across Israel, with people expressing gratitude for his bravery, according to the president’s office. Indian students in Israel have also reported receiving warm gestures from university communities, including discounts at campus cafeterias, following the incident.
(With agency inputs from Reuters and PTI)