Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned Attack Before He Was Hired, Investigators Told
The Omani co-pilot who attacked his captain on flight FZ1073 told investigators he had planned the assault before joining Flydubai.
By The Aviation Hub
6 min read
The Flydubai co-pilot at the centre of the 30 September attack on flight FZ1073 told investigators he had chosen the airline specifically because it flew to Tel Aviv and had planned the assault before he was even hired. That account, drawn from investigations now running across the UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia, has deepened serious questions about how Hamam al-Hammami came to be in a commercial cockpit.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv when al-Hammami attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe. Livemint reports that al-Hammami told investigators: "I checked which ones flew to Tel Aviv. That's why I chose Flydubai. I planned it even before I was hired." The quote was first carried by Israeli channel Channel 13.
What Happened Aboard Flight FZ1073
According to Livemint, Machchhar initially believed al-Hammami had stood up to pray before realising he was under attack. The captain sustained serious injuries but managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to restrain the attacker.
The aircraft lost roughly 16,000 feet in altitude in approximately 30 seconds, according to Zee News. View from the Wing reports that the aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, also suffered substantial rudder damage, visible in photographs taken at Tabuk.
Two off-duty pilots travelling as passengers helped stabilise the aircraft and landed it at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The plane was carrying 182 people and all survived. Machchhar was initially treated in Saudi Arabia before being transferred to the UAE.
The Flydubai Co-Pilot Who Planned the Attack Well in Advance
View from the Wing reports that al-Hammami, a 29-year-old born in the Emirates to an Omani father and Syrian mother, used a June visit to Ben Gurion Airport to gather information for the attack. He initially intended to carry out the mission in July but abandoned that plan because a friend was working the flight.
Livemint reports that al-Hammami told investigators he had planned to kill Machchhar inside the locked cockpit and then take control of the aircraft. If he could not reach Israel, he allegedly planned to crash into a US military base in Jordan. According to View from the Wing, the reported target was the terminal at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.
When the cockpit door was opened and the original plan fell apart, investigators believe he attempted to crash the aircraft into the desert instead.
How Passengers Stopped the Aircraft Going Down
View from the Wing reports that passenger Tali Manes, who had gone toward the bathroom with her young daughter, heard something wrong and alerted the crew. Once the cockpit door opened, she called for help when she saw blood.
Passenger Yaniv Hayun put al-Hammami in a chokehold and pulled him away from the controls, then briefly helped steady the aircraft before a pilot took over. Dentist Dr Shota Musaev helped bind the attacker with headphone wires and applied pressure to the captain's wounds. Musaev says al-Hammami asked the passengers to kill him, while Machchhar was pleading for help to stay alive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Machchhar for preventing the aircraft from being brought down, according to Zee News.
The Hiring Checks That Failed to Flag Him
Al-Hammami's background has become a central part of the investigation. Zee News reports, citing the Associated Press and people familiar with the case, that Oman had previously barred al-Hammami from flying because of doubts about his alleged "extremist views." He was moved to an administrative role at Oman Air before eventually joining Flydubai.
A Gulf diplomat cited by the AP said al-Hammami underwent standard pre-employment checks at Flydubai. Those checks appeared to focus on criminal convictions and did not fully examine possible signs of radicalisation. View from the Wing adds that he also went through a deradicalisation programme before being placed in a desk role, and that process clearly did not succeed.
In a statement to the AP, Royal Air Maroc said al-Hammami trained with the airline for three months last year as part of a pre-employment process but was not selected, according to Livemint.
Israel's Security Gap and the Dispute Over Responsibility
Zee News reports, citing the AP, that the UAE had shared passenger and crew information, including nationalities, with Israeli authorities before the flight departed Dubai. Israeli officials did not flag any individual after receiving that list.
This matters because al-Hammami was an Omani national, and Israel has agreements with foreign airlines restricting pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights into the country. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Zee News reports that The Times of Israel found dozens of Omani pilots had previously flown to Israel despite those restrictions, with airlines generally trusted to enforce the rules themselves.
A dispute has now emerged within Israel over which agency bore responsibility. Israel's Shin Bet said the Transportation Ministry was responsible for vetting crew information. Transportation Minister Miri Regev said her ministry had not received a passenger list and had not been warned of any threat. Dvir Rubenstein, head of aviation security at the Transportation Ministry, told Army Radio that the ministry does not have the tools or capacity to carry out detailed checks on every crew member before each flight.
Where the Investigation Stands
The UAE is leading the investigation and has described the incident as a terrorist attack. Investigations are also under way in Israel and Saudi Arabia, with the Australian Federal Police separately examining al-Hammami's links to Australia, according to Livemint.
Livemint reports that CNN and CBS News, citing Israeli sources, have suggested al-Hammami may have acted as a lone wolf. Investigators have not so far established a connection between al-Hammami and any terrorist organisation, according to Zee News. Flydubai operations to Tel Aviv are currently suspended.
You can track aircraft involved in incidents like this using our Aircraft Search tool, which covers the full Flydubai fleet and beyond.
The Bottom Line
The picture emerging from multiple investigations is troubling on several fronts. The attacker had been removed from flying duties at a previous airline over concerns about radical views. A deradicalisation programme did not resolve those concerns. Pre-employment checks at Flydubai did not uncover his history. Israeli security procedures did not catch the nationality restriction breach despite having crew information before departure.
Captain Machchhar's decision to force open the cockpit door, despite severe injuries, and the actions of passengers and off-duty pilots, prevented what investigators believe was a planned mass-casualty attack. The systemic questions raised by the incident will take considerably longer to answer.
Our Squawk 7700 hub carries the latest on aviation emergencies and incident reports as they develop. We will update our coverage if Flydubai, the UAE investigators or any of the other agencies involved release further information.
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