Pilot behind midair flydubai cockpit attack planned Tel Aviv crash beforehand

The Attack

The co-pilot of a flydubai flight has told authorities he planned to crash the aircraft into Tel Aviv before he was even hired by the airline. Flight FZ1073 departed from Dubai last Wednesday with 174 passengers and six crew members on board. The Omani co-pilot, named in reports as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency cockpit crash axe during the journey. The violent struggle caused the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet to drop rapidly from 34,000 feet to 16,600 feet in about 90 seconds. Badly injured, Captain Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker while two off-duty flydubai pilots took control of the plane. The aircraft ultimately landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, nearly four hours after takeoff, and a second flydubai plane later flew the stranded passengers on to Israel. UAE Attorney-General Hamad al-Shamsi officially termed the incident a terrorist act, while Israel's prime minister stated that the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination and compared the averted threat to a 9/11 disaster.

Prior Planning

According to Israeli officials and US and Israeli reports, Hamam targeted airlines that flew to Tel Aviv specifically to carry out the attack. He reportedly intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion International Airport or a tower block in central Tel Aviv, operating as a lone-wolf extremist. Investigators revealed he had flown an earlier Israel-bound flight earlier this year with the same destructive intent, but abandoned that attempt because he knew someone on board. Regional officials noted that Oman Air had previously barred him from flying and moved him to an administrative desk job over concerns regarding extremist views, before he was subsequently hired by flydubai. The incident has triggered urgent questions regarding background checks and how the co-pilot bypassed security protocols, particularly given that Israel and Oman lack formal diplomatic relations and Israel maintains agreements with foreign airlines to keep pilots from non-diplomatic nations off those routes. The United Arab Emirates is leading the ongoing investigation alongside Israeli and Saudi participants, though regional officials have stated they found no direct Iranian link.

Context

Commercial aviation relies on strict background screening and multi-layered cockpit security protocols to prevent internal threats from compromised crew members. Incidents involving intentional pilot action are exceptionally rare, making rigorous vetting across international carriers a central focus for aviation authorities worldwide. Investigations into such events typically involve examining employment history, airline recruitment standards, and cross-border intelligence sharing.