{"id":48904,"date":"2026-10-06T08:07:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T08:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/?p=48904"},"modified":"2026-10-06T08:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T08:09:49","slug":"flydubai-co-pilot-received-part-of-his-flight-training-in-new-zealand-police-confirm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/06\/flydubai-co-pilot-received-part-of-his-flight-training-in-new-zealand-police-confirm\/","title":{"rendered":"Flydubai Co-Pilot\u00a0Received Part of\u00a0His Flight Training\u00a0in New Zealand, Police Confirm."},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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New Zealand Police Review Flydubai Co-Pilot\u2019s Previous Training Period<\/h4>
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New Zealand Police Examine Flydubai Co-Pilot\u2019s Time in the Country<\/h2>

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New Zealand authorities are reviewing records relating to the Flydubai co-pilot who was allegedly involved in an attempt to bring down a passenger aircraft, after confirming that he spent several months in the country as part of his professional flight training.<\/p>

According to New Zealand police, the co-pilot travelled to the country in late 2018 and remained there until May 2019.<\/p>

Police said he entered New Zealand on November 30, 2018<\/strong>, and left the country on May 23, 2019<\/strong>, spending almost six months there on a student visa.<\/p>

The authorities said the purpose of his stay was to complete part of his aviation training for a UK-based company that was operating in New Zealand at the time.<\/p>

The company is no longer operating in the country, police said.<\/p>

Police investigate training history<\/h3>

New Zealand Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson confirmed the details in an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday.<\/p>

According to Johnson, immigration records show that the man entered New Zealand on November 30, 2018, before departing on May 23, 2019.<\/p>

Police also confirmed that his stay was connected to flight training.<\/p>

The investigation is now examining records and gathering additional information about the period he spent in New Zealand.<\/p>

Authorities have not indicated that the co-pilot committed any offence during his time in the country.<\/p>

Instead, the review is focused on establishing more information about his activities and training history while he was in New Zealand.<\/p>

The investigation forms part of efforts by authorities to establish the background of the individual at the centre of the incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073.<\/p>

Six-month student visa<\/h3>

The co-pilot travelled to New Zealand using a student visa that was valid for six months, police said.<\/p>

His immigration history shows that he entered the country at the end of November 2018 and remained there until late May the following year.<\/p>

During that period, he undertook a portion of his flight training.<\/p>

Police said the training was being completed on behalf of a UK-based aviation company that is no longer operating in New Zealand.<\/p>

The information provides part of the co-pilot\u2019s professional background, although authorities have not publicly released his identity.<\/p>

New Zealand police said they are continuing to examine relevant records and make enquiries concerning his time in the country.<\/p>

Investigation follows Flydubai flight incident<\/h3>

The New Zealand inquiry comes after a serious incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073<\/strong>, which was travelling from Dubai towards Israel.<\/p>

According to the UAE Attorney-General, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the aircraft\u2019s captain using an emergency crash axe.<\/p>

UAE authorities have described the incident as a terrorist attack<\/strong>.<\/p>

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, with authorities in several countries examining different aspects of the co-pilot\u2019s background and alleged actions.<\/p>

Neither UAE authorities nor Flydubai have publicly identified the co-pilot.<\/p>

Multiple agencies involved in inquiries<\/h3>

The investigation is not limited to New Zealand.<\/p>

A multi-agency Australian counterterrorism unit is also examining the man\u2019s links to Australia, according to the information available.<\/p>

The involvement of authorities in several countries reflects the international nature of the case and the co-pilot\u2019s previous travel and training history.<\/p>

New Zealand police are specifically examining his time in the country, including the training he undertook there and records associated with his stay.<\/p>

Australian authorities, meanwhile, are looking into his connections to Australia.<\/p>

The UAE is investigating the alleged attack aboard the Flydubai aircraft and has publicly characterised the incident as terrorism.<\/p>

What police have confirmed<\/h3>

New Zealand police have so far confirmed several details about the co-pilot\u2019s time in the country.<\/p>

He arrived on November 30, 2018<\/strong>, according to immigration records.<\/p>

He remained in New Zealand until May 23, 2019<\/strong>.<\/p>

His stay was covered by a six-month student visa.<\/p>

Police said he had travelled to New Zealand to complete part of his flight training.<\/p>

The training was conducted for a UK-based company that has since ceased operating in New Zealand.<\/p>

Authorities are now reviewing records and conducting further enquiries into his time there.<\/p>

Police have not publicly provided further details about the training programme or the specific location where it was carried out.<\/p>

Co-pilot\u2019s identity remains undisclosed<\/h3>

Despite the international investigation, the identity of the Flydubai co-pilot has not been publicly released by UAE authorities or the airline.<\/p>

The decision not to disclose his name means that details about his personal background remain limited.<\/p>

Authorities have instead provided information about his movements and previous activities as investigators continue to establish his history.<\/p>

The New Zealand police statement offers one of the clearest accounts so far of his activities before joining the airline, confirming that he had spent several months in New Zealand for aviation training.<\/p>

The information may form part of the broader effort by investigators to establish a timeline of his professional and personal history.<\/p>

International focus on the investigation<\/h3>

The incident has attracted attention beyond the UAE because of the aircraft\u2019s route and the co-pilot\u2019s connections to several countries.<\/p>

The flight was travelling from Dubai towards Israel when the alleged attack on the captain took place.<\/p>

Following the incident, authorities began examining the circumstances surrounding the event as well as the background of the co-pilot.<\/p>

The UAE Attorney-General described the incident as a terrorist attack, adding another dimension to the investigation.<\/p>

New Zealand police are now reviewing information connected with his previous stay in their country, while Australian authorities are investigating his links to Australia.<\/p>

The separate investigations could provide authorities with additional information about his movements, training and associations before the incident.<\/p>

Training company no longer operates in New Zealand<\/h3>

An important detail confirmed by New Zealand police is that the flight training was carried out for a UK-based company that no longer operates in New Zealand.<\/p>

Police did not provide further details about the company in their statement.<\/p>

The organisation was apparently involved in the training arrangement that brought the co-pilot to New Zealand in 2018.<\/p>

The fact that the company is no longer operating in the country may mean investigators need to rely on historical records and other documentation to establish the full circumstances of the training.<\/p>

Police said they are continuing to review available records and make enquiries about the period in which the co-pilot was in New Zealand.<\/p>

Authorities continue gathering information<\/h3>

The New Zealand investigation remains focused on establishing the facts surrounding the co-pilot\u2019s stay.<\/p>

Police have confirmed his arrival and departure dates through immigration records and have established that his purpose in the country was to undertake part of his flight training.<\/p>

Further enquiries are now being conducted to determine additional details about that period.<\/p>

The investigation does not, based on the information released by police, indicate that the co-pilot was involved in any wrongdoing while he was in New Zealand.<\/p>

Rather, authorities are reviewing his history because of the serious incident that later occurred aboard the Flydubai flight.<\/p>

Broader investigation continues<\/h3>

The investigation into the Flydubai incident is being conducted against the backdrop of inquiries in multiple countries.<\/p>

The UAE is examining the alleged attack aboard flight FZ1073, while New Zealand is reviewing the co-pilot\u2019s previous stay and training history.<\/p>

Australian counterterrorism authorities are also investigating his connections to Australia.<\/p>

The involvement of multiple agencies is expected to help authorities piece together information about the co-pilot\u2019s movements and background across different countries.<\/p>

At this stage, authorities have released only limited personal information about the individual.<\/p>

The New Zealand police confirmation nevertheless establishes that he spent approximately six months in the country in 2018 and 2019 as part of his aviation training.<\/p>

Timeline of the New Zealand stay<\/h3>

According to immigration records cited by police, the co-pilot\u2019s New Zealand stay began on November 30, 2018<\/strong>.<\/p>

He entered the country on a student visa that covered a period of six months.<\/p>

During his stay, he completed a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company.<\/p>

He remained in New Zealand until May 23, 2019<\/strong>, when he departed the country.<\/p>

Police are now reviewing records connected with those months and carrying out additional enquiries.<\/p>

The investigation comes years after the training period and follows the alleged incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073.<\/p>

Investigation remains ongoing<\/h3>

New Zealand authorities have not indicated when their review of the co-pilot\u2019s history will be completed.<\/p>

Police have confirmed that enquiries are continuing and that records relating to his time in the country are being examined.<\/p>

Meanwhile, authorities in the UAE and Australia are conducting their own investigations into different aspects of the case.<\/p>

The UAE Attorney-General\u2019s description of the incident as a terrorist attack means the investigation is being treated as a serious national security matter.<\/p>

However, many details surrounding the incident, including the co-pilot\u2019s identity and the full circumstances of the alleged attack, have not been publicly disclosed.<\/p>

For now, New Zealand police have confirmed only that the co-pilot spent several months in the country under a student visa and completed part of his professional flight training there.<\/p>

The information adds another element to the international investigation as authorities continue to examine his background and the events surrounding the Flydubai flight.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Authorities in New Zealand have confirmed that the Flydubai co-pilot underwent a portion of his professional aviation training in the country, providing further details about his background and pilot training history, according to local police officials investigating the matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,9],"tags":[],"post_template":[],"top_category":[],"class_list":["post-48904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-uae","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48904"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48910,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48904\/revisions\/48910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48904"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=48904"},{"taxonomy":"top_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/top_category?post=48904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}