Stories
Flydubai Hijack Scare: How Israel Missed Crucial Red Flags on Flight FZ1073
- •A radicalised co-pilot attempted to hijack Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv using a crash axe before being overpowered by an Indian captain and passengers.
- •Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami had previously been flagged for Islamist radicalisation by Oman Air but slipped through aviation vetting due to internal handling rather than formal criminal charges.
- •Israel failed to enforce its own protocol barring citizens from nations without formal diplomatic ties, such as Oman, from piloting flights into its airspace.
- •Shin Bet had reportedly warned Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev three times about vulnerabilities in foreign flight screening, but recommendations were rejected.
- •Saudi Arabia swiftly granted an emergency landing at Tabuk and protected the passengers, highlighting quiet regional cooperation during the crisis.
Key Questions Answered
A radicalised co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe at 34,000 feet, attempting to sabotage flight systems before being thwarted by the crew and passengers. The Boeing 737 safely diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Oman Air had previously flagged him for radicalisation and reassigned him to ground duties, but handled his removal internally rather than filing criminal charges. Consequently, standard background checks focusing on criminal history databases failed to reveal any red flags before Flydubai hired him.
Under Israeli protocol, pilots from nations without formal diplomatic ties to Israel are barred from its airspace, and Oman does not have formal ties with Israel. However, Shin Bet outsourced crew nationality vetting entirely to the airlines, and the Transportation Ministry rejected warnings to tighten screening procedures.
