Chennai: The Flydubai incident is a “terror act,” and would have ended up being a “bigger tragedy” but for the bravery of Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, a senior Israel official said on Thursday, hailing him as the “real hero” and appreciating his ability to put his life at risk for the sake of passengers.
Israel Consul General to South India, Orli Weitzman, said the people of her country, more than its leaders, were “very very appreciative” of the pilot, who was attacked by his co-pilot with a knife, causing him bleeding injuries.
She pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had praised Machchhar, currently undergoing treatment at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight that he was commandeering made an emergency landing following the mid-air scare.
To a question on any possible update on the injured pilot’s health status, she said, “We don’t know the situation.”
She was effusive in her praise for Machchhar, currently undergoing treatment at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia where the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight made an emergency landing following the mid-air scare.
She informed that he was attended to by an Israeli doctor onboard the ill-fated flight soon after he was attacked.
