Captain Smit Machchhar in an undated photograph released on 30 September 2026. Photo: Israel Foreign Ministry/Handout via Reuters.
Morning. Steve Moore here. UAE prosecutors will examine whether Wednesday’s flydubai cockpit attack involved terrorist intent, prior planning or outside direction, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. While flydubai’s Israel flights remain suspended, Israeli carriers are seeking permission to bring stranded passengers home and restore regular services.
In Britain, Andy Burnham’s praise for Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners has drawn a clarification from Downing Street, which says nobody is above the rules. It is an early test of how the new prime minister handles relationships built during his years as Greater Manchester mayor.
There is also a new account of Iran’s diplomacy: Bloomberg reports that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi privately raised allowing nuclear inspectors back into bombed facilities in exchange for sanctions relief.
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Prosecutors examine the motive
Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi has appointed specialist public prosecutors to investigate FZ1073, which diverted from its Dubai–Tel Aviv route and landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. The UAE Foreign Ministry said the inquiry would examine any possible connection to terrorist activity or intent, and whether the incident involved prior planning or direction.
The ministry says UAE courts have jurisdiction because the aircraft is registered in the UAE and carries its flag, even though the incident occurred outside Emirati territory. Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Center has separately opened a safety investigation, according to Saudi Gazette.
Captain Smit Machchhar has been transferred from Tabuk to Abu Dhabi for further treatment, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. India’s ambassador, Deepak Mittal, visited him and said he was recovering well.
Israel reviews pilot screening
Israel is also asking how the co-pilot was cleared to fly the route: Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday that he was Omani and had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination, Bloomberg reports. The Israeli prime minister said restrictions applied to pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel, and described the clearance as a screening “loophole”.
Netanyahu’s spokesman, Doron Spielman, said Israel was vetting all pilots flying into the country and conducting its own inquiry. He said the suspect remained in Saudi Arabia and was due to be moved to the UAE, and that Israel would participate in the investigation.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that officials were examining whether the pilot had ties to Iran and suggested he believed the answer was yes. Bloomberg’s report presents no evidence establishing that connection, and Netanyahu cautioned that it was too early to say whether there were Iranian links.
Neither flydubai nor the UAE government had announced the co-pilot’s identity or nationality, Bloomberg reported; Oman did not immediately respond to its request for comment. The airline said it was still investigating the circumstances, while the UAE Foreign Ministry urged the public to await official findings.
Israeli carriers seek permission to return
For passengers caught by the suspension, the immediate question is when another airline can carry them home. El Al, Israir and Arkia told Reuters they planned repatriation flights from Dubai starting on Friday, subject to security approval and agreement on state compensation.
The carriers are also seeking to restore regular services: El Al wants at least two daily flights from November, Israir up to ten a week, and Arkia a return when operational and logistical preparations permit. A senior Israeli security official told Reuters that discussions with Emirati counterparts were continuing and final confirmation was still needed.
flydubai says it will review its suspension as more information becomes available and help affected passengers with alternatives where possible. If you are affected, obtain confirmation from your airline before travelling to the airport; a proposed repatriation flight is not yet a booking.
Burnham’s Manchester ties follow him to Downing Street
The UAE’s relationships abroad face a different test in Britain, where Andy Burnham has said he would be “really concerned” to lose Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners after an independent commission found the club had breached Premier League financial rules. Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, the prime minister called them “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester” and thanked City Football Group and the wider ownership for investment beyond the stadium and its campus.
Burnham knew that investment as Greater Manchester’s mayor, a role he held until June; the relationship includes redevelopment in Ancoats and New Islington. City’s ownership is led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, the UAE’s deputy prime minister, which gives the controversy a direct Emirati interest as well as a Manchester one.
Burnham said it would be wrong for him to intervene and said he believed Everton, the club he supports, had been treated unfairly. His concern about losing the owners nevertheless risks signalling a preferred outcome to those deciding the case. His appreciation of investors he worked with as mayor now carries the weight of Downing Street.
On Thursday, No 10 said the initial judgment was serious and that no one was above the rules. “It is essential that it is allowed to run its course and the outcome respected,” a spokesperson said of the independent process, adding that established wrongdoing should carry appropriate consequences.
City denies wrongdoing and is expected to appeal; the Independent Football Regulator says it will await further developments in the proceedings. The story for the UAE now reaches beyond any football sanction to how Britain treats a major investor when its sporting interests come under regulatory scrutiny.
Iran raises inspections for sanctions relief
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister has privately discussed allowing nuclear inspectors back into bombed facilities in exchange for sanctions relief. Abbas Araghchi raised the proposal with European and Middle Eastern diplomats at the UN General Assembly, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the talks.
Araghchi also pressed Europeans to reverse the UN sanctions restored last year. European officials have refused that reversal, while Trump has publicly denied offering sanctions relief or releasing frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had already said publicly that inspectors could return; Bloomberg’s new reporting places a conditional offer inside Araghchi’s private discussions in New York. It gives mediators a more specific proposal to work on, but the report contains no agreement on the sanctions Iran would receive in return.
Three tankers reportedly struck in Hormuz
Safe passage through Hormuz remains one of the practical tests for any agreement. Shipping intelligence service Marisks says three Liberian-flagged tankers were struck by unidentified projectiles in the strait on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
The vessels were Al Ruwais, Mersin Prosperity and Sinbad; Marisks said they were travelling with their Automatic Identification System transponders switched off. ADNOC Logistics & Services, which manages the first two, declined to comment, while Sinbad’s manager, Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management, did not immediately respond.
The report does not identify who fired the projectiles or establish why the ships were targeted. The reported strikes show the limits of treating successful transits as evidence that the route is safe.
China puts domestic fuel supplies first
Shipping is only one constraint on fuel reaching buyers. China has withheld permission for major refiners to export October fuel shipments beyond Hong Kong and Macau, Reuters reports, citing four people briefed on the matter.
PetroChina has cancelled some planned gasoline and jet-fuel cargoes, while Zhejiang Petrochemical has scheduled no product shipments during China’s holiday week, the sources said. They did not know whether permissions would resume after the holiday ends on 7 October; neither company immediately commented.
One&Only homes for Al Maryah Island
Back in Abu Dhabi, Mubadala, TARAF and Kerzner have announced One&Only Private Residences on Al Maryah Island: a planned 44-storey tower, about 230 metres high, with a direct connection to The Galleria. TARAF is Yas Holding’s property arm, while Mubadala is the island’s master developer.
The plans include one- to three-bedroom homes, duplexes and a penthouse, with gardens, terraces and wellness facilities. The announcement gives no completion date or prices.
Helsinki opens; the Red Sea follows
For residents planning a shorter stay away, the airlines have two additions to consider. Emirates launched its daily Dubai–Helsinki Airbus A350 service on Thursday, with the inaugural flight leaving at 7.30 am, Emirates 24|7 reports.
Etihad’s previously announced Abu Dhabi service to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Airport is scheduled to begin on Sunday, 4 October. It starts with one flight a week and rises to two from 25 October, so check the return dates before planning a short break.
Oman next for the UAE
There is also a reason to keep Saturday evening free at home. The UAE face Oman in the Gulf Cup semi-final on 3 October after a 1–1 draw with Qatar left them top of their group.
Ali Saleh equalised in first-half stoppage time after Almoez Ali had put Qatar ahead; Saudi Arabia meet Qatar in the other semi-final, with the final scheduled for 6 October. UAE coach Zlatko Dalic warned that Oman should not be underestimated.
What to watch today and over the weekend
FZ1073: Official findings on the motive, evidence supporting or contradicting the alleged Iranian connection, and any change to flydubai’s suspension.
Dubai–Tel Aviv: Whether proposed repatriation flights receive approval and operate.
Manchester City: The expected appeal and any further statements from Downing Street or the football regulator.
Iran: Any public confirmation of inspection terms or a response on sanctions relief.
The weekend: The UAE–Oman semi-final on Saturday and Etihad’s scheduled Red Sea launch on Sunday.
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Thanks for reading. Send stories, corrections and the view from where you are to steve@emirateswire.co.uk.
Have a good Friday. If you’re watching the UAE tomorrow, enjoy the match; I’ll be hoping Monday’s edition has a final to look forward to.
Steve
Emirates Wire uses AI tools to assist with research, early drafting, fact-checking and copy-editing. Steve Moore reviews, edits and personally approves every sentence before publication.