UAE and global airlines deploy additional pilots on long-haul flights of more than eight to 10 hours, or when pilots are being repositioned to a different city, according to aviation analysts. However, airlines around the world do not operate with additional pilots on short-haul flights.
The issue has come into focus after flydubai flight FZ 1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. The airline said an altercation on the flight deck led to the diversion and that off-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight secured the aircraft.
Flightradar24 data showed that the aircraft dropped more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds before landing safely, according to the tracking data. Saudi authorities said the captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital. The UAE Attorney General has ordered an investigation, and flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel.
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Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said UAE airlines are not required to carry an additional pair of pilots on every flight, and that carriers in the UAE and the wider Gulf have not introduced the practice since the US-Israel-Iran war began on February 28.
On Friday, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith praised the remarkable courage and quick response of the Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, the crew of Flydubai flight “FZ1073”, and the passengers who contributed to controlling the situation.
The authority confirmed in a statement that their swift and decisive intervention and sense of responsibility contributed to containing the situation and preventing more serious repercussions, which reflects the level of preparedness, cooperation and shared responsibility in facing emergency and exceptional circumstances.
Not mandatory
Ahmad said UAE regulations set duty-time, rest and fatigue-management limits for pilots. These determine how many pilots must be rostered but do not require a second pair on every flight. “The decision is regulatory, mathematical and operational – not discretionary,” he said.
Airlines model the entire duty period, including report time (typically 60 to 90 minutes before departure), flight time, post-flight duties, delays and contingency buffers, and time-zone shifts. If the total exceeds the permitted flight duty period for two pilots, a third must be added. If it exceeds the limit for three pilots, a fourth is required.
Why not on every flight?
Ahmad said placing additional pilots on flights places a major burden on airlines, as they command high salaries and the industry already struggles to recruit pilots. Carrying extra crew who are technically idle therefore serves little purpose on shorter sectors. Modern aircraft such as the Boeing 777, 777X and 787 and the Airbus A350 can fly ultra-long-range routes, while narrowbodies such as the 737 MAX and A320neo can also operate medium- to long-haul sectors. Where needed, airlines can deploy additional crew so pilots do not suffer exhaustion or exceed their permitted flying hours.
“Having an additional crew for those long routes provides a safety net for crew and passengers alike,” he said.
There are hundreds of routes that run for more than 12 hours. Some of the longest routes include New York (JFK) to Singapore, Singapore to New York (JFK), Auckland to Doha, Melbourne to Dallas-Fort Worth, and Perth to London Heathrow.
Seating and past cases
Additional pilots may sit on the flight deck or, more often, use crew-rest areas. On long-range routes where passenger numbers are limited, some airlines block out seats for pilots.
Ahmad cited two cases from 2026 in which a pilot was incapacitated mid-flight. On a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Boston, the captain fell ill during the cruise, and the other pilot took over and diverted the aircraft to Detroit. On a Tarom Boeing 737 from Amsterdam to Bucharest, the co-pilot collapsed at 35,000 feet, and the captain flew the aircraft alone to a diversion in Bucharest.
Source: Khaleej Times