World

Omani Co‑Pilot Allegedly Planned Flydubai Crash into Tel Aviv Before Joining Airline

By Nischai Vats

The co‑pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, who stabbed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar in a midair cockpit brawl last week, reportedly told UAE authorities that he had planned the attack before being hired by the Dubai state‑owned airline, two Israeli officials said. The co‑pilot, identified as Hamam al‑Hammami, an Omani national, had intended to crash the flydubai flight into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, Reuters reported, citing Israeli officials. Israeli officials said the co‑pilot is from Oman but did not name him, while the UAE and flydubai have not publicly disclosed his identity. The plane took off from Dubai last Wednesday with 174 passengers and six crew members. The report added that Hamam had operated another Israel‑bound plane earlier this year and had intended to hijack and crash it, but he chose not to. Hamam al‑Hammami flew for Oman Air, and Oman had barred him from flying over concerns he had adopted extremist views, moving him to an administrative job. He later joined flydubai, though it is unclear how thoroughly he was vetted. He had flown to Tel Aviv earlier in 2026 and allegedly intended to crash that aircraft, but dropped the plan because he knew someone on board. He is rostered as co‑pilot on FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with 182 people on board. The UAE says he attacked the captain with a cockpit crash axe and tried to take control. The jet fell from 34,000 ft to 16,600 ft in about 90 seconds. Captain Smit Machchhar, badly hurt, opened the cockpit door. Passengers and crew subdued the co‑pilot; two off‑duty flydubai pilots took control. The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, nearly four hours after take‑off. The UAE leads the probe, with Israeli and Saudi participation, treating it as a planned terror attack. Regional officials say they found no Iranian link. The investigation is still ongoing and has raised concerns about how thoroughly flydubai vets potential employees and how the Omani co‑pilot’s presence on a flight filled with Israeli passengers bypassed Tel Aviv’s stringent security protocols. Israeli authorities have said they have agreements with foreign airlines to keep pilots of nations without diplomatic ties from flying there. Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations.