Three pilots associated with flydubai Flight FZ1073 have received the UAE’s First Class Order of Zayed II for their actions during an in-flight emergency on 30 September. Captain Smit Machchhar, who was injured, and additional pilots Rowan Tooth of South Africa and Henson Steven of Fiji were honoured at a ceremony in the UAE on 27 October. The Boeing 737 landed safely in Saudi Arabia after the incident aboard the Dubai–Tel Aviv service.
The UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, conferred the award on crew members involved in the incident. Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the honours and commended the crew’s actions and sense of responsibility.
Published accounts identify Tooth and Steven as pilots travelling aboard the aircraft in addition to its operating crew. They took control after the co-pilot attacked Machchhar in the cockpit, and the aircraft diverted to Saudi Arabia. The official account of the award did not name individual recipients or describe the incident. Tooth previously worked for South African carrier Airlink, while Steven previously worked for Fiji Airways.