Sunday newspaper Rapport says it has learnt that a South African pilot and his New Zealand colleague landed the Flydubai plane in Saudi Arabia after an altercation on board resulted in the main pilot allegedly being stabbed by his co-pilot, in what authorities are calling an attempted terror attack.
The South African pilot and his New Zealand counterpart were reportedly on flight FZ1073 to Tel Aviv as relief crew. According to Rapport, their names are being withheld as investigations are underway.
The mid-air drama unfolded on Wednesday, 30 September, when the co-pilot, identified by multiple news outlets as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly stabbed the main pilot, Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, with a crash axe.
The United Arab Emirates has assembled a team of specialised members of the Public Prosecution to investigate the incident, to determine the circumstances and causes behind the attack. On Saturday, the UAE prosecutor general officially ruled it an attempted ”terrorist attack”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nethayahu has said the co-pilot had attempted to crash the plane, also labelling it an attempted terror attack.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Captain a few days ago:
