The reason behind the altercation between the two pilots aboard the flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, that was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, is “unknown”, the airline said on Wednesday.
An altercation broke out in the aircraft’s flight deck, following which, the flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport. The circumstances surrounding the altercation were not immediately clear.
The airline said that all passengers and crew members were safe and accounted for. flydubai flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport, was diverted to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia after the incident, an airline spokesperson said in a statement. “The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport,” the spokesperson said. The airline said the underlying reasons and motives remained unknown and were subject to a formal investigation, urging people to refrain from “premature speculation” while authorities gather the facts.
Israeli officials and media reported that the emergency signals followed a physical confrontation between the two pilots, which led to one of the pilots getting stabbed. The incident came after the aircraft transmitted emergency signals while en route to Tel Aviv. The aircraft subsequently diverted towards Tabuk.
The Boeing 737 initially transmitted the 7700 code used to indicate a general emergency and later briefly transmitted 7500, the international transponder code for unlawful interference, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
The pilot who got stabbed is an Indian national, identified as Smit Machchhar, according to people aware of the matter. “During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message.
Machchhar was previously employed by SpiceJet.
