Now Reading: Salman Khan, PM Modi hail pilot Smit Machchhar after Flydubai attack
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Salman Khan, PM Modi hail pilot Smit Machchhar after Flydubai attack
Bollywood star Salman Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among those who have praised Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar after a co-pilot attack on flight FZ1073 on 30 September. The flight was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the Omani co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked Machchhar with a knife or an axe, according to TV9 Hindi. Aaj Tak reports around 170 to 174 people were saved, while TV9 Hindi puts the figure at about 175 passengers.
Despite being injured, Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers to subdue the attacker, and made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, at about 34,000 feet. Salman Khan posted on X, calling Machchhar a hero. PM Modi, Israeli PM Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump also praised him. Machchhar, originally from Ghatkopar, Maharashtra, is admitted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi.
Several other Bollywood stars, including Sonam Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Kangana Ranaut, R Madhavan, Vijay Deverakonda, Paresh Rawal and Ravi Kishan, have also lauded the pilot's courage.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Aaj Tak and TV9 Hindi carry near-identical hero narratives, focusing on the praise from PM Modi, Salman Khan and other celebrities, with no critical or investigative framing of the incident itself. The outlets differ only on minor details: Aaj Tak describes the weapon as a knife, TV9 Hindi as an axe, and their passenger tallies vary slightly (170-174 vs 175). The coverage is uniform, straight reporting of a dramatic event, with both sources treating the official accounts and celebrity reactions as the story. Neither outlet questions the security breach or the co-pilot's background, leaving the incident's operational implications unexamined. The shared next step is Machchhar's ongoing treatment in Abu Dhabi.
Both outlets present the same core facts: an injured pilot landing a plane and a wave of public and political acclaim.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): aajtak.in (neutral report), tv9hindi.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
