Two additional pilots were aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 as traveling crew, or “deadheading” pilots, positioned for a later assignment. Passenger Daniel Schlichter told the Associated Press that they were expected to fly the aircraft back from Tel Aviv to Dubai. Separate reporting said planners also considered the possibility that regional airspace restrictions could lengthen the route and push the original crew toward duty-time limits; that explanation has not been confirmed in a published airline operational record.
Why were there two extra pilots on the flight?
The pilots were traveling as crew, not simply flying as ordinary passengers. Airlines move crew members between locations this way—often called deadheading or positioning—so they can report for a subsequent assignment. In this case, passenger Daniel Schlichter told the Associated Press that the two pilots were expected to take the aircraft back from Tel Aviv to Dubai. His account is a passenger’s explanation, not a flight-specific statement from Flydubai.
Hindustan Times separately reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that crew planning also took account of possible regional airspace restrictions. A longer route could have extended the flight and brought the original crew closer to their duty-time limits. That is an attributed operational rationale; the cited reporting does not include an official Flydubai schedule or operational record confirming it.
What role did the additional pilots play during the emergency?
Passenger accounts reported that one of the traveling pilots entered the cockpit and took control, and that the second joined him. Flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith thanked the pilots who secured and landed the aircraft, according to reporting by the Associated Press and Hindustan Times. The extra crew’s planned positioning and their reported actions during the emergency are distinct points: the former explains why they were aboard, while the latter describes what passengers said happened after the cockpit incident began.
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What is known about the FZ1073 incident?
FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, when an incident occurred in the cockpit. In an account reported by The National on October 3, UAE Attorney General Hamad Al Shamsi said the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. The co-pilot is accused; the allegation should not be treated as a proven finding while investigations are ongoing.
The aircraft diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and landed safely. The Indian Express reported the landing time as 06:45 UTC. The Associated Press reported that 182 people were aboard; other reports count 174 passengers and eight crew, also totaling 182.
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What has not been established?
- As of the Associated Press report on October 3, Flydubai had described the two additional pilots as crew members traveling on the aircraft, but they had not been publicly identified. Their identities and nationalities should not be treated as confirmed.
- The full circumstances and motive for the cockpit incident were still under investigation in the cited October 3 reporting. The National reported that the attorney general characterized the alleged conduct as an attempted terrorist act; that legal characterization is attributed to him, not an independent finding.
- Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said on October 2, as quoted by EFE, that an official investigation led by the relevant authorities was underway and that Flydubai was supporting it. The investigation, rather than passenger accounts or early reporting, must establish the incident’s facts.
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