New Development in flydubai Incident: Attacker Pilot Had Been Banned From Flying in Oman
New details have emerged regarding the first officer who attempted to crash the aircraft after injuring the captain on flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter, the first officer, an Omani national, had previously been banned from flying by Oman due to concerns over radical ideological views.
Despite the flight ban imposed against him, the pilot was hired by the UAE-based carrier flydubai and assigned to the route between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
During the incident on Wednesday, an altercation broke out in the cockpit while the aircraft, carrying more than 170 passengers and crew members, was cruising over Saudi airspace. The situation was brought under control following intervention by the cabin crew and passengers, and the aircraft carried out an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport with the assistance of an off-duty pilot on board.
In the multi-agency investigation jointly conducted by Emirati and Israeli authorities, the pilot’s recruitment process, background, and whether he acted under any external direction continue to be examined in detail.
