Cairo, Oct 2 (EFE).- Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said Friday that “a full official investigation,” supported by the Emirati airline, will establish what happened aboard flight FZ1073, while thanking the captain and others who helped land the aircraft safely after the pilot was injured in an incident mid-flight.
In his first statement following Wednesday’s “safety incident” in the cockpit, Al Ghaith said he was aware that “there are many questions about what happened on board FZ 1073.”
“A full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by Flydubai, is underway. It is important that we allow this process to establish the facts,” he said.
Al Ghaith thanked the Indian captain, identified as Smit Machchhar, as well as “the pilots who secured the aircraft and landed it safely, as well as our cabin crew.”
“On behalf of everyone at flydubai, I extend my sincere thanks to the authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their swift and professional response. I also thank the UAE authorities and relevant stakeholders for their support in helping our customers and crew return home,” he said.
The CEO also confirmed that flights to Tel Aviv have been temporarily suspended, as the company had previously announced, at the “request of the authorities.”
“Safety is, and always will be, our highest priority,” Al Ghaith said, without commenting on the co-pilot involved in the incident.
According to Saudi authorities, the co-pilot was also injured and was taken to a hospital in the Saudi city of Tabuk, where the aircraft made an emergency landing, before being transferred to Abu Dhabi.
Emirati authorities have not commented publicly on his condition.
The co-pilot’s identity has not been disclosed, nor have the possible motives behind the incident been established.
On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates Attorney General’s Office announced the formation of a team of specialized prosecutors to investigate whether the incident had a terrorist motive.
Israeli authorities have alleged that a pilot attempted to crash the aircraft.
On Friday, the Indian pilot told Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a call from Abu Dhabi that he felt the plane was “plummeting” when, despite being seriously injured and stabbed, he managed to open the cockpit door.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot had attempted to crash the aircraft after stabbing the pilot and described the incident as an “attack.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it an “attempted jihadist terrorist attack.”
The circumstances of the incident and any possible motive remain subject to the official investigation. EFE
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