Salman Khan ‘Salutes’ Flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar For Heroic Act, Says ‘Will Be A Pleasure To Fly With You’ - ABP Live English

Salman Khan has “saluted” Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar following his heroic actions on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, where he continued to operate the aircraft despite being seriously injured and helped ensure the safety of all 174 passengers. Machchhar has been praised on social media, as well as by world leaders and several celebrities, for his courage and presence of mind during the terrifying mid-air incident. His co-pilot, an Omani national, attacked him with an “emergency axe”.

Machchhar’s actions have been credited with helping prevent what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a potential “9/11 disaster”. The plane was eventually diverted to Saudi Arabia, and the passengers were able to return safely to Israel.

Salman took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the Flydubai pilot, saying that it would be a pleasure to fly with him. “Kamaal kar diya pilot ji, hum sab aap ko salute karte hain will be a pleasure to fly with u.. Well done bro.. Capt #SmitMachchhar.”

Kamaal kar diya pilot ji, hum sab aap ko salute karte hain will be a pleasure to fly with u.. Well done bro.. Capt #SmitMachchhar

Actor Anil Kapoor also shared a heartfelt tribute to Captain Machchhar, revealing a personal connection to the pilot through his business manager, Jalal. Kapoor recalled that Jalal had known Smit since flying school and had always considered him someone he would want by his side in a difficult situation.

In his post, Kapoor wrote, “What Smit did in that moment was nothing short of extraordinary. It takes immense courage to stay strong and put others first...” He went on to express his respect for the captain and wished him a speedy recovery.

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Vicky Kaushal shared a picture of the pilot in the cockpit and wrote, “Braveheart! Capt Smit Machchhar.”

Sunny Deol praised Machchhar’s “extraordinary courage and presence of mind”, saying he had helped avert a disaster and save lives, while wishing him a speedy recovery.

Tamannaah Bhatia highlighted the extraordinary responsibility Machchhar carried during the crisis.

R Madhavan also joined the tributes, praying for the speedy recovery of what he described as a true hero.

He continued to operate a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight despite being seriously injured by his co-pilot with an emergency axe.

He safely diverted the plane to Saudi Arabia, preventing a tragic incident.

He was praised by Salman Khan, world leaders, and several celebrities including Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Vicky Kaushal, Tamannaah Bhatia, and R Madhavan.

Arfa Javaid is Deputy News Editor at ABP Live English, where she leads the Entertainment & Lifestyle desk. She covers stories across beats and is an award-winning poet. Her off-hours look like a stack of non-fiction and a cat with strong opinions about personal space.

Write to her at arfaj@abpnetwork.com

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