Aviation Heroes 40 Years Apart: Neerja Bhanot and Captain Smit Machchhar
· World · Times of India, NDTV
Chandigarh-born flight attendant Neerja Bhanot became a symbol of courage during the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, where she helped passengers escape before being fatally shot by terrorists. Four decades later in 2026, Mumbai-born Captain Smit Machchhar successfully regained control of a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv after being allegedly attacked by his co-pilot mid-air. Both aviation professionals were confronted with life-or-death emergencies where seconds determined the survival of hundreds of passengers. Bhanot was posthumously awarded India's highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra, alongside international honours. The recent incident involving Captain Machchhar highlights ongoing safety protocols and crew responses in modern commercial aviation.
Why it matters
The actions of Bhanot and Machchhar demonstrate the critical role of crew intervention during catastrophic mid-air emergencies, directly impacting passenger survival rates.
Read the original report — Times of India
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