Saudi Arabia Provides Assistance to 174 Flydubai Passengers After Emergency Landing
Saudi Arabia provided logistical and necessary assistance to all passengers and crew aboard an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight that was forced to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, the Kingdom’s interior ministry said Thursday.
Flight FZ1073 was flying over the Jordanian border when it dropped thousands of meters before landing safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport. Israeli officials said an Omani copilot attacked his colleague in the cockpit as part of an apparent plan to crash the aircraft, which was carrying 166 Israeli passengers.
Preliminary investigations by Saudi authorities, carried out in coordination with a security team from the UAE, found that an altercation occurred in which the copilot assaulted the captain, resulting in injuries to both men, according to a Saudi ministry official. The two pilots were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. After being medically cleared, both left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi on Thursday, accompanied by the UAE security team.
All 174 passengers and eight crew members received assistance after the plane landed safely at 9:45 a.m. By 5:40 p.m., all passengers had continued their journey aboard a replacement FlyDubai aircraft, while the flight crew returned to Dubai on a separate flight operated by the airline, the official said.
The flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, has been praised for his bravery in trying to stop the attacker and allowing passengers and crew into the cockpit to help regain control of the aircraft. Indian embassy officials in Abu Dhabi said he is in good health and recovering well. The identity of the copilot accused of the attack has not been released.
Videos showing Saudi teams caring for the shaken Israeli passengers in Tabuk have since been widely shared online.
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