Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash Tel Aviv flight before hiring

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Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash Tel Aviv flight before joining airline: Israeli officials

October 5, 2026

DUBAI,— The flydubai co-pilot told UAE investigators that he had planned the attack before joining the airline, after allegedly assaulting the captain during a flight from Dubai to Israel in what investigators suspect was an attempt to crash the aircraft, Reuters reported.

Two Israeli officials familiar with the investigation provided details of his reported admission.

The incident took place last Wednesday aboard Flight FZ1073, which was traveling toward Israel.

The co-pilot, an Omani national identified by two sources as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly used an emergency crash axe to attack the captain while the aircraft was in the air.

A third person briefed on the UAE investigation said the co-pilot intended to crash the aircraft near Ben-Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv.

The same source said investigators believe he had considered carrying out a similar plan during an earlier flight to Tel Aviv.

That earlier plan was reportedly abandoned. The reason for the change remains unclear, although the source said the co-pilot was believed to know someone who was traveling on that flight.

The attack aboard Flight FZ1073 was brought under control after passengers and crew members intervened and restrained the co-pilot.

FlyDubai pilot Hamam al Hammami stabbed captain and hijack airplane Israel Sep 2026 — Flydubai pilot Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, who stabbed the captain and attempted to hijack the plane carrying Israeli passengers and crash it while en route to Tel Aviv. September 30, 2026.. Photo: SM/via DubaiDiplomacy.com

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, survived the incident and was praised for his actions during the emergency.

A reserve flydubai pilot who happened to be traveling as a passenger then took control of the aircraft.

The plane, which was carrying more than 170 passengers, mostly Israelis, and crew, was diverted to an airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot before transferring him to the UAE the following day.

UAE prosecutors have described the incident as a terrorist attack. However, authorities have not publicly announced formal charges against the suspect.

The co-pilot’s identity has not been officially released by UAE authorities or flydubai.

Investigators are also examining why the suspect sought employment with flydubai.

Israeli officials said he told UAE interrogators that he had searched for airlines operating flights to Tel Aviv before applying to the Dubai-based carrier.

The case has prompted questions about how he was assigned to a Tel Aviv route. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that pilots who are citizens of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel, including Oman, are not permitted to operate flights to the country.

FlyDubai airplane, Boeing 737 MAX, 2022. Photo: Creative Commons/wikimedia

Netanyahu later ordered a review of security procedures involving foreign airlines serving Israel.

The investigation has also expanded beyond the UAE and Israel. New Zealand police are reviewing a period the suspect spent in the country, Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Johnson said Monday.

He did not publicly identify the man or provide details about when he was in New Zealand.

Australian counterterrorism authorities are separately examining his connections to Australia. The suspect is believed to have attended RMIT University in Melbourne, where a source said he studied approximately a decade ago.

His aviation training is also being examined. Royal Air Maroc confirmed that he completed three months of theoretical training with the Moroccan airline in 2025. The airline later rejected his application for employment.

Netanyahu said that the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and described him as suicidal. The circumstances and timing of the alleged radicalization have not been publicly established.

The UAE investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not disclosed further details about possible charges or the evidence being gathered against the suspect.

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