THE Polish pilot hailed as a hero for his smooth emergency landing of a Boeing airliner remained modest yesterday in his first public appearance, saying he felt “huge relief” once his passengers evacuated the plane, but wondered whether he could have done better.

The brazen theft of the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign sparked a national debate over alleged shortcomings in the security system at the memorial site of the former Auschwitz Nazi death camp.