Former SpiceJet pilot at centre of Flydubai mid-air incident

An Indian national and former SpiceJet pilot was the captain of the Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a confrontation in the cockpit, according to information available to ET.

Smit Machchhar, joined Flydubai in 2022 after flying for a decade for SpiceJet, his colleagues said.

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Flight FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with around 174 passengers when an incident involving the two pilots unfolded more than two hours into the flight. The aircraft subsequently transmitted emergency signals and made a rapid descent before diverting to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Machchhar was reportedly attacked by the co-pilot, who has been identified in reports as an Omani national. The captain was injured in the confrontation but managed to regain control of the aircraft.

Passenger accounts described shouting and a struggle in the cockpit, with some passengers and crew members intervening. Both pilots were injured and taken to hospital after the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk.

Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descending from around 34,000 feet to about 16,000 feet during the incident. The aircraft initially transmitted the 7700 emergency code, followed by the 7500 code associated with unlawful interference.

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The 7500 transmission prompted concerns of a possible hijacking, with Israel scrambling fighter aircraft as the situation unfolded.

Israeli authorities are investigating the incident, including reports that the co-pilot attempted to take control of the aircraft. The exact sequence of events and the motive behind the confrontation have not yet been conclusively established.

Flydubai confirmed that an incident occurred onboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and said passengers and crew were safe. The airline is sending another aircraft to Saudi Arabia to fly the stranded passengers onward to Israel. But it didn't confirm the nationalities of the pilot.

The aircraft involved, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 registered as A6-FKF, landed safely at Tabuk.

The incident is being investigated by the relevant Saudi and Israeli authorities, with Flydubai also conducting an internal inquiry.