President Sheikh Mohamed offers to teach flydubai captain Smit Machchhar some jiu-jitsu moves

President Sheikh Mohamed has delivered a heartfelt message of support to hero flydubai pilot Capt Smit Machchhar and his courageous crew, telling them they will always be part of the “UAE family”.

Sheikh Mohamed warmly embraced the Indian aviator and inquired about his recovery in a good-humoured exchange during an event held in Abu Dhabi, in which he jokingly offered to supply with him jiu-jitsu training.

It was on September 30 that Capt Smit was thrust into the global spotlight after he was attacked by his co-pilot on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Flydubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv plunged 17,000 feet in less than a minute when the co-pilot struck Capt Smit repeatedly with an axe and sought to seize control of the plane.

The pilot managed to unlock and open the cockpit door while severely injured, allowing crew and passengers to come to his aid, restrain the mid-air assailant and bring the plane under control.

The aircraft was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

'How are you healing'

Sheikh Mohamed checked on the pilot's head injuries and asked how long his wounds would take to heal during the conversation conducted in English.

“So when will you heal,” Sheikh Mohamed said to Capt Machchhar, bearing stitches in the back of his head and with his arm in a sling, who told the UAE leader his recovery will take about two months.

Sheikh Mohamed then said: “So, I have an idea. When you heal, I want to have a session with you to train you how to fight,” adding that jiu-jitsu would be the way to go.

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Flydubai pilot recounts his experience in an exclusive interview with The National

The candid conversation was captured in a video released by UAE broadcaster, Emirates News.

The pilot and his fellow crew members were hailed for their efforts at the reception, also attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and other UAE leaders and dignitaries.

“Whatever happened in your life, the UAE is your country,” Sheikh Mohamed told the flight crew.

“And there is a home for you here and you have a family.”

Sheikh Mohamed conferred the First Class Order of Zayed II on the crew of flydubai flight 1073 and commended their bravery during the mid-air emergency on September 30, which ensured the safety of more than 170 passengers.

The honours were presented by Sheikh Hamdan, who commended the crew’s actions and sense of responsibility.

During the meeting, the leaders paid tribute to the crew for the high level of responsibility they showed in maintaining passenger safety and security. They stressed that preserving human safety and security is the UAE's highest priority and ultimate value.

Attacker planned 9/11-style attack

A flydubai co-pilot attempted to seize control of a passenger jet and crash it into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport in a premeditated suicide attack, UAE prosecutors have said.

The UAE's Attorney General, Hamad Al Shamsi, announced this month that an investigation into the September 30 incident involving flight FZ1073, bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai, found that the aircraft's Omani co-pilot carried out a terrorist plot to cause mass casualties at the Israeli airport.

The suspect, aged 29, was inspired by the attacks on September 11, 2001, and had pursued a career in aviation specifically to carry out a similar operation, according to his confession, UAE authorities said.

The co-pilot worked for Oman Air between 2020 and 2024, then briefly for Royal Air Maroc in 2025, before joining flydubai in January 2026. The investigation also examined the procedures under which the suspect had been recruited by flydubai.

The findings showed that he had met the professional and security requirements for employment, including holding a pilot’s licence, providing a certificate of good conduct and completing the required checks.

None of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot.