Stories
Omani Co-Pilot Planned Flydubai Hijacking Months Before Cockpit Attack
- •Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami reportedly planned to hijack a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight in July but abandoned it because he knew a crew member on board.
- •Al-Hammami allegedly attacked Indian pilot Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe inside the cockpit of a Flydubai flight on September 30.
- •The cockpit struggle caused the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to drop over 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before passengers and off-duty pilots overpowered the attacker.
- •Investigators revealed al-Hammami was previously barred from flying in Oman over radical ideology concerns, though Flydubai allegedly did not vet his past employment.
- •Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a security review of foreign airlines following the incident, which has been labeled a terrorist attack.
Key Questions Answered
The Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, abandoned his initial plan to hijack a flydubai flight in July because he knew a crew member who was scheduled to be on that specific flight.
On September 30, al-Hammami attacked pilot Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe inside the cockpit of flight FZ1073. The confrontation caused the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to lose over 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before Machchhar opened the door, allowing passengers and off-duty pilots to overpower the co-pilot and land safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Prior to joining flydubai, Omani authorities had examined al-Hammami's online activity and found he displayed a significant interest in radical ideology. He was barred from flying at Oman Air, placed in a deradicalisation program, and transferred to a desk position, though Oman did not share these concerns broadly with other airlines.
