flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar Praised by PM Modi After Saving 182 Lives

In October 2026, flydubai captain Smit Machchhar spoke by phone with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi about a cockpit incident in which he saved 182 lives. Machchhar said he chanted the Hanuman Chalisa for courage and used every bit of his energy to save the plane, and called Modi his biggest idol. Modi lauded the captain, and a pilots' body urged the Prime Minister to give Machchhar a bravery award.