Dubai Crown Prince visits Captain Smit, applauds his courage

By  News On Air   Oct 03, 2026

Dubai Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence for the UAE, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, visited Captain Smit Machchhar, the flydubai pilot involved in the FZ1073 incident.

In a post following the visit, Sheikh Hamdan praised Captain Smit for demonstrating “the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life.” He added that the UAE was proud to have Captain Smit as part of its team and its story.

Sheikh Hamdan also described the pilot as representing what the UAE stands for — “a nation of compassion, a nation of peace, and a nation of life.”