Superstar Salman Khan has praised flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage after he foiled his co-pilot’s attempt to allegedly crash an Israel-bound flight. Khan took to social media to salute Machchhar, who was seriously injured after being stabbed by his co-pilot in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

“Kamaal kar diya pilot ji, hum sab aap ko salute karte hain (You’ve done an incredible job, pilotji. We all salute you for your courage)… will be a pleasure to fly with u.. Well done bro.. Capt #SmitMachchhar,” the actor wrote on X. Take a look at Salman’s tweet here:

The flydubai flight had transmitted emergency signals on Wednesday and made a sharp descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk city. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.

In videos circulating on social media, the pilot can be seen drenched in blood, wearing an oxygen mask and lying on his back in the galley of the aircraft. On Friday, Machchhar spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a video call from hospital and recounted the incident.

Modi praised the pilot’s bravery, presence of mind and composure, saying his split-second decision helped save the lives of those on board. The motive behind the co-pilot’s alleged attack remains under investigation.