Saudi Arabia said the two pilots involved in the September 30 Flydubai cockpit incident were transferred to Abu Dhabi on October 1 after receiving medical clearance. A UAE security team accompanied them, according to a Saudi Interior Ministry official quoted by Arab News. Preliminary inquiries conducted with UAE officials indicated that the co-pilot had assaulted the captain, injuring both men. They had first been taken to a local hospital.
The ministry also described arrangements for those aboard the diverted Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. Saudi teams assisted 174 passengers and eight crew members after the aircraft landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. Passengers continued their journey on a replacement Flydubai aircraft at 5.40 pm, while the crew returned to Dubai on a separate service. The ministry account was published on October 2.
In a later account reported on October 4, Captain Smit Machchhar told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he initially mistook a blow to his head for damage to the aircraft. Repeated blows made him realise he was being attacked by the other pilot. He said his vision became blurred and he felt the aircraft descending sharply. He cautioned that his recollection of the incident remained fragmented.
Machchhar described trying to open the cockpit door once and believing that the co-pilot shut it again. Lying injured on the floor, he could hear the aircraft's movement and passengers screaming. He said he then pushed towards the door and opened it, allowing those waiting outside to enter and regain control. NDTV's account of the conversation supplied the captain's own description of that sequence after the earlier Saudi statement about treatment and transfer.
