Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday lauded flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar for his courage and presence of mind in preventing an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash the aircraft, saying his commitment to passenger safety was commendable.
Machchhar’s bravery, presence of mind and fighting spirit in the face of adversity would be remembered and appreciated by all, Reddy said in a press release, wishing him a speedy and complete recovery.
Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, transmitted emergency signals on Wednesday and made a sharp descent of more than 17,000 feet from an altitude of 34,000 feet before being diverted to Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
