The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has sought a national bravery award for flydubai pilot Capt Smit, who was seriously injured in an alleged cockpit attack by his first officer but continued to perform his duties during the emergency and helped bring the aircraft safely to an alternate airport in Saudi Arabia.In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, FIP president Capt CS Randhawa said Capt Smit’s conduct during the September 30 incident warranted “special recognition” and urged the government to consider him for an appropriate national bravery award or national civilian honour.flydubai flight FZ1073 was operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the incident occurred. According to the FIP letter, Capt Smit was reportedly attacked by the First Officer with a crash axe and sustained serious injuries.The flight was carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members. FIP said the passengers and crew had no control over the extraordinary circumstances unfolding inside the cockpit and their safety depended on the flight crew retaining control of the aircraft and managing the emergency.“Despite his injuries and the threat inside the flight deck, Capt Smit continued to discharge his responsibilities as Pilot-in-Command,” the federation said. “The aircraft was subsequently diverted safely to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.”Randhawa said the situation was particularly grave because pilots are trained to deal with aircraft emergencies, adverse weather, technical failures, medical emergencies and other operational threats, whereas an attack on the Pilot-in-Command inside the flight deck presents an “entirely different and exceptionally grave challenge”.“Capt Smit was reportedly himself seriously injured during the incident. Nevertheless, instead of allowing his personal injuries and the unprecedented threat to compromise his responsibilities, he continued to focus on the safety of the aircraft and the people on board,” Randhawa said.He said the pilot’s ability to remain composed, exercise command and take critical decisions while injured and under threat demonstrated “extraordinary courage, resilience, situational awareness, leadership and devotion to duty”.The FIP said Capt Smit’s continued performance of his duties and the subsequent safe diversion to Tabuk represented an exceptional act of professional courage and responsibility. Randhawa said the incident reflected the responsibility accepted by a Pilot-in-Command to place the safety of passengers and crew above personal safety during an extreme emergency.The federation also noted that Capt Smit had been a member of the FIP until 2022 and said it continues to regard him as part of the wider fraternity of professional pilots.Seeking national recognition, Randhawa asked the PM to examine the circumstances of the incident, obtain the relevant operational and medical records and consider Capt Smit’s conduct for the highest appropriate form of recognition, subject to verification by the competent authorities.“Capt Smit’s actions demonstrate that, even when confronted with grave personal danger and serious injury, the responsibility of a true professional pilot remains firmly centred on the safety of those entrusted to his care,” Randhawa said.The letter has also been marked to the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).