Captain Smit Machchhar To Neerja Bhanot, Biju Patnaik: India's Aviation Heroes Who Bravely Handled 'Flight Risks'

India’s aviation history is filled with extraordinary stories of pilots and cabin crew members who showed legendary courage under extreme pressure to save hundreds of lives. Most recently, on October 1, Captain Smit Machchhar joined this elite list of national heroes after surviving a violent mid-air cockpit attack to save a commercial flight.

Here are the prominent Indian pilots and flight crew who became heroes through their valour:

CAPTAIN SMIT MACHCHHAR (2026)

While commanding a flydubai Boeing 737 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Captain Machchhar was suddenly attacked and stabbed by his co-pilot. Despite being severely injured and bleeding on the cockpit floor, he maintained absolute presence of mind to activate the emergency lock release. This allowed the cabin crew and passengers

to rush in, overpower the attacker, and safely divert the aircraft to Saudi Arabia, saving 174 passengers.

NEERJA BHANOT (1986)

Neerja Bhanot was the 22-year-old Senior Flight Purser on the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi. When Libyan-backed terrorists boarded the plane, Neerja quickly alerted the cockpit crew, allowing the pilots to escape and ground the aircraft. Over a grueling 17-hour siege, she hid the passports of American passengers to protect them from execution. She was tragically shot and killed while shielding three children from gunfire. She posthumously received the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award.

CAPTAIN DEVI SHARAN (1999)

Captain Devi Sharan was the pilot of Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 when it was hijacked by five terrorists. Forced to fly across multiple international airspaces with critically low fuel, Captain Sharan maintained extraordinary composure under the literal gun. His tactical delays, masterful navigation, and continuous negotiations with the hijackers over seven agonizing days ensured the survival of 176 passengers and crew.

WING COMMANDER RAKESH SHARMA (1984)

Before capturing the nation’s imagination as India’s first cosmonaut in space, Rakesh Sharma was a distinguished Indian Air Force fighter pilot. During the 1971 Indo-Pak War, he flew 21 grueling combat missions in a MiG-21, displaying elite aerial skills under heavy enemy fire. He later became a national icon when he flew aboard the Soviet Salyut 7 space station.

AIR MARSHAL ARJAN SINGH (1965)

A absolute legend of the skies, Arjan Singh was the Chief of the Air Staff who led the IAF during the 1965 Indo-Pak War. His brilliant strategic deployment of aircraft despite constraints thwarted enemy advances and earned him the distinction of being the first and only officer of the Indian Air Force to be promoted to the five-star rank of Marshal of the Air Force.

BIJU PATNAIK (1947)

An exceptionally daring pilot long before he became a prominent politician, Patnaik flew hazardous missions for the Royal Indian Air Force during World War II. During the 1947 war, he safely flew the first wave of Indian soldiers into Srinagar to defend Kashmir. He is also globally celebrated for a high-stakes covert mission where he flew into a blockade-ringed Jakarta to successfully rescue Indonesian freedom fighters.