New York Times defends early wording on Flydubai cockpit attack

The New York Times has faced online criticism over its initial description of a serious cockpit incident aboard a Flydubai flight as an “altercation” between the pilot and co-pilot. The newspaper’s early report said a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a confrontation between the two pilots. It cited officials speaking anonymously and noted that Flydubai had initially confirmed only that an altercation had occurred and that crew members had secured the aircraft.

As further details emerged, reports said the co-pilot had stabbed Indian captain Smit Machchhar and had attempted to interfere with the aircraft’s controls. Passengers and crew reportedly intervened after Machchhar opened the cockpit door while injured. Critics on social media argued that the newspaper’s wording minimised the seriousness of the episode.

Some accused the Times of applying inconsistent standards when reporting incidents involving Israel and Israelis. The newspaper later defended its reporting in a post on X. “Our headlines and live coverage contain all the facts we're able to confirm as we confirm them,” the Times said.

It added that, unlike activists and partisans, it did not publish speculation or unverified information. The dispute continued online despite the clarification. Posts criticised the paper both for its initial wording and for the tone of its response.

The source material also repeated claims about alleged double standards, but those accusations were made by commentators rather than established by the newspaper’s statement. The underlying incident remained under investigation. Flydubai said the reasons and motives behind the cockpit confrontation were unknown and urged people to avoid premature conclusions.

The captain was later praised by Indian, Israeli and US leaders after the aircraft landed safely and all passengers were accounted for.