UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has awarded the Flydubai crew involved in the September 30 FZ1073 incident a medal for their courage and efforts to keep passengers safe.
The crew received the Order of Zayed II, First Class, in recognition of their role during the incident. The award is generally given to foreign ambassadors, diplomats, senior officials and international figures for their contributions to public service and strengthening ties with the UAE.
Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, presented the medals at a ceremony. He praised the crew for the responsibility they showed in protecting passengers during the incident.
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Sheikh Hamdan had also shown his support for the crew earlier, visiting Captain Smit Machchhar on October 3, just days after the pilot was injured in the cockpit altercation aboard flight FZ1073 on September 30.
The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it was diverted to Saudi Arabia on September 30.
UAE prosecutors on October 9 said the 29-year-old co-pilot of the flydubai flight FZ1073 planned to hijack the aircraft and crash it into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in an attack intended to cause mass casualties
According to the UAE Public Prosecution, he attempted to carry out the plot during his third trip to Tel Aviv. Investigators said the suspect had used two previous trips to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the flight route and airport as part of his preparations.
The UAE on October 3 said investigations revealed that the co-pilot launched the attack while the aircraft was in flight, assaulting the pilot inside the cockpit with a crash axe and attempting to take control of the aircraft. A crash axe is a safety tool kept in the cockpit for use in emergencies, such as breaking through doors or panels.