The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution honouring Indian flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar for his bravery during an attempted attack on Flight 1073 on September 30.
The resolution, introduced by Josh Gottheimer, Don Bacon and Michael McCaul, praised Machchhar for protecting passengers and crew after his Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked him inside the cockpit and tried to take control of the aircraft.
The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with around 174 passengers, including 27 children and four US citizens. During the incident, the aircraft lost more than 14,000 feet of altitude in under 30 seconds.
Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing off-duty pilots to enter and help land the aircraft. The plane was eventually diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where all passengers and crew were accounted for.
The House resolution also commended the off-duty pilots, cabin crew and passengers involved in securing the cockpit and called for Machchhar and other injured people to make a full recovery.
The resolution condemned the incident as terrorism and urged Saudi Arabia and the UAE to conduct a full investigation, while keeping the US and Israel informed.
