flydubai Flight Incident Live News Updates: Captain Smit Machchhar, the flydubai pilot who fought off his co-pilot’s attempt to sabotage the Dubai-Tel Aviv aircraft, has been airlifted from Saudi Arabia to Dubai. Machchhar was stabbed by his Omani co-pilot while stopping him from crash the aircraft.
The flydubai flight FZ1073 had transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
Flight-tracking information showed the aircraft first transmitted squawk code 7700, the internationally recognised code for a general emergency. It then switched to 7500, which indicates unlawful interference with an aircraft, including a possible hijacking. The signal alone does not establish what happened on board.