KALABURAGI: The Congress on Saturday lauded Captain Smith Machchaar for his courage in protecting the lives of 174 passengers by foiling an attempt by his co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight on Wednesday.
Speaking with press persons here on Saturday, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said that Smit Machchaar 'deserves every bit of appreciation' for demonstrating exemplary courage after he was attacked by his co-pilot.
Kharge said that, as per reports, the flight carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the incident occurred. The co-pilot allegedly attacked Smith with a crash axe inside the cockpit, causing the aircraft to plunge over 15,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
Kharge said he and Rahul Gandhi had already tweeted about the incident and praised Smith as well as his parents, adding that he got an opportunity today to praise them in front of the media.