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Flydubai Co-Pilot Assaults Captain Mid-Flight, Both Depart Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi
M
Moneycontrol•02-10-2026, 01:13
Flydubai Co-Pilot Assaults Captain Mid-Flight, Both Depart Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi
- •A Flydubai co-pilot assaulted Captain Smit Machchhar during a mid-air altercation on flight FZ1073, causing an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- •Both the Indian captain and the co-pilot sustained multiple injuries and received medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.
- •After medical clearance, both men departed Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi, accompanied by a UAE security team.
- •The incident occurred on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport.
- •The UAE has launched a separate investigation into the cockpit altercation to determine the motive and rule out terrorist activity.
Key Questions Answered
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was forced to make an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk on September 30 after a mid-air altercation occurred between the co-pilot and Captain Smit Machchhar.
After receiving medical clearance and being declared fit to travel, the co-pilot and Captain Smit Machchhar departed Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning accompanied by a UAE security team.
The aircraft landed safely with 174 passengers and eight crew members on board, with the passengers later continuing their journey on a replacement flight while the remaining crew returned to Dubai.
