Flydubai accused pilot ‘prayed a lot’, refused...
The Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv witnessed a mid-air emergency landing due to an attempted hijacking by a co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the lead pilot, Smit Machchhar. The co-pilot, an Omani national, refused to shake hands with women and was described by a colleague as a religious extremist who prayed a lot. The colleague alleged that the airline, Flydubai, a sister airline of Emirates, had hired a "terrorist" who posed a significant threat to the safety of 174 passengers.
The incident occurred because Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations, making it difficult for the Omani national to obtain a passport allowing him to fly into Israel. Despite being severely injured, Pilot Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene, and the plane subsequently landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials have called for an investigation into whether the United Arab Emirates breached its aviation agreement with Israel.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
