Attorneys clashed Thursday in a Utah courtroom over opposing characterizations of a fight between two commercial airline pilots in which the co-pilot allegedly threatened to shoot the captain for suggesting they divert the flight for a passenger’s medical emergency. Former Delta Air Lines pilot Jonathan J. Dunn, 42, made his first federal court appearance Thursday in Salt Lake City after he was indicted by a grand jury on Oct. 18, 2023, and charged with interfering with a flight crew. His lawyer, John W. Huber, who was once Utah’s top federal prosecutor, tried to characterize the altercation as “a misunderstanding,” while prosecutors described it as a “grave offense.” The heated argument had erupted in the cockpit of a 2022 flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City, on which Dunn was the first officer, or co-pilot. The captain, who is not named in court documents, had proposed diverting their commercial flight to Grand Junction, Colorado, if the passenger’s condition worsened, the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges. Dunn objected and threatened multiple times to shoot the captain, whom he accused of “going crazy,” the documents state. If convicted, Dunn could face up to 20 years in prison. Judge Jared C. Bennett set his trial date for March 12. Dunn acknowledged threatening the captain but said his remarks were intended as a joke, according to new court documents detailing the altercation. The captain did not perceive the threats as a joke and told authorities that he was concerned Dunn would use his firearm to “relieve” him of command of the aircraft.<br/>
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Indonesia's state flag carrier Garuda Indonesia said late on Thursday that it has paid back $113.8m of the debt it owes to bondholders as part of its restructuring process. In 2022, the airline won creditors' approval to restructure more than $9b of debt after it faced financial difficulties due to among others COVID-19-related travel curbs. Garuda said in a statement that it settled $113.8m worth of debt to bondholders after completing two tender offers. Using tender offers meant the airline only had to pay around $50m to settle the $113.8m. "We hope that this initiative could improve our capital structure, so it can become healthier," Garuda Indonesia's President Director Irfan Setiaputra said, adding the debt was paid using the company's internal cash. A company generally does a debt tender offer to retire its bonds at less than the original face value and by doing so it also reduces the interest costs. The settlement was related to Garuda’s U.S dollar bonds, some of which are in the form of Islamic notes, with a total principal amount at $624.21m, Garuda said.<br/>