FAILED BY TWO AIRLINES, HIRED BY FLYDUBAI: Shocking Questions Emerge About Copilot Who Tried to Crash Israel-Bound Flight
Flydubai is facing serious questions about its pilot recruitment practices following revelations that the 29-year-old Omani copilot accused of attempting to crash a passenger jet bound for Israel had joined the airline only eight months earlier, after reportedly failing to secure positions with two other carriers.
The copilot, identified as Hammam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked the aircraft’s captain with an axe during the flight to Ben Gurion Airport in an attempt to bring down the Boeing passenger jet. The incident has prompted scrutiny of how the airline evaluates prospective pilots, particularly as it has expanded its operations and workforce at a rapid pace.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, al-Hammami was hired by Flydubai in February 2026 after unsuccessful attempts to obtain employment with airlines in Oman and Morocco. The circumstances surrounding those earlier applications, including why he was not hired, have raised additional questions about the screening procedures used before he was accepted by the Dubai-based carrier.
The attempted attack has become one of the most serious crises in Flydubai’s history, threatening passenger confidence in an airline that has developed into a major international carrier and an especially important aviation connection between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
The incident has also drawn attention to the airline’s extraordinary growth in recent years. Since the coronavirus pandemic, Flydubai has nearly doubled its workforce, expanding from 3,682 employees at the end of 2021 to 6,763 by the conclusion of 2025.
Its pilot roster has undergone an even more dramatic transformation over the past decade. The company currently employs approximately 1,500 pilots, compared with just 658 ten years earlier, reflecting its aggressive expansion into new markets and the increasing size of its fleet.
To support that growth, Flydubai lowered the minimum flight-hour requirements for junior pilots earlier this year, according to the report. The company has also offered substantial compensation packages to attract experienced personnel, with captains eligible for monthly pay exceeding $18,000.
The recruitment changes have come under renewed examination following the attempted attack, with aviation industry observers questioning whether the pressure to expand quickly may have affected the airline’s ability to adequately evaluate prospective employees.
Although lowering minimum flight-hour requirements does not necessarily indicate that safety standards have been compromised, the revelations have intensified scrutiny of the airline’s hiring procedures and the background checks conducted on pilots entrusted with passenger aircraft.
The latest disclosures suggest that al-Hammami’s employment history contained warning signs more serious than unsuccessful job applications. At Oman Air, where he had previously worked, he was reportedly removed from flying duties in 2024 because of concerns about extremist views. He was subsequently assigned to a desk position before leaving the airline.
Al-Hammami also underwent a three-month theoretical training program with Royal Air Maroc in 2025 but was not selected for employment afterward. It remains unclear precisely what information about his earlier employment was available to Flydubai when it reviewed his application.
Even more troubling, investigators have reportedly learned that al-Hammami deliberately sought employment with an airline operating flights to Israel. According to accounts attributed to officials familiar with the investigation, he had considered carrying out an attack months before the September 30 incident and had specifically sought assignment to the Dubai-Tel Aviv route.
The attempted attack occurred aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which departed Dubai for Ben Gurion Airport on September 30. During the flight, al-Hammami allegedly seized an emergency axe kept inside the cockpit and repeatedly struck the captain, identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar.
The assault caused the aircraft to enter a dangerous descent, creating a potentially catastrophic situation for the passengers and crew. Despite his injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing others aboard the aircraft to intervene and help regain control.
The Boeing 737 subsequently made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Passengers escaped without serious injuries, although the captain required medical treatment. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have characterized the incident as an attempted terrorist attack and launched a criminal investigation.
The incident occurred on one of Flydubai’s most strategically significant routes. Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in 2020, the carrier has become a vital connection between the two countries, providing frequent service between Dubai and Ben Gurion Airport.
Flydubai maintained its Israel operations even during periods when many international airlines suspended flights because of security concerns. Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and the subsequent war, the company continued operating services to Israel and eventually expanded its schedule to as many as ten daily flights.
In 2025, Flydubai transported more than 800,000 passengers through Ben Gurion Airport, representing an increase of 71 percent over the previous year. Its expanding operations contributed to the United Arab Emirates becoming one of the most popular international destinations for Israeli travelers.
Approximately 1.5 million passengers traveled from Ben Gurion Airport to the UAE during 2025, making the Emirates Israel’s third-largest international destination after Greece and the United States.
Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, praised the airline’s decision to maintain its Israeli operations during periods of regional instability.
“Flydubai kept going the whole time, they didn’t stop, and that’s noteworthy,” he said.
That history has made the current crisis especially significant. The attempted attack has disrupted a commercial aviation relationship that had become an important symbol of cooperation between Israel and the UAE following the Abraham Accords.
Flydubai, established in 2008 with backing from the Dubai government, has built its business around an extensive network of destinations, including markets that many Western airlines avoid because of security risks or political instability. Among the destinations it has served are Kabul and Damascus.
The strategy has helped the airline expand rapidly and achieve substantial profitability. Flydubai reported approximately $531 million in profit for 2025, reflecting strong passenger demand and the success of its growing regional and international network.
However, the airline has also experienced serious aviation incidents in the past. In 2015, one of its aircraft was struck by gunfire while landing in Baghdad. The following year, a Flydubai passenger jet crashed in Russia, killing all 62 people aboard. Investigators attributed that disaster to errors made by the flight crew.
The latest incident differs fundamentally from those earlier events because investigators believe the aircraft was deliberately endangered by one of the pilots entrusted with operating it. That distinction has placed the airline’s employee screening procedures, internal security systems and coordination with foreign aviation authorities under particularly intense scrutiny.
Israeli officials have questioned how an Omani national who had reportedly been removed from flying duties over ideological concerns was subsequently permitted to operate flights to Israel. Oman does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel, making the assignment an additional focus of the investigation.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive review of security procedures governing foreign airlines operating flights to Israel. The examination is intended to determine whether existing screening arrangements adequately protect against threats involving flight crew members.
Israel’s Transportation Ministry has also introduced additional screening procedures for foreign airline personnel. Flydubai has sought permission to resume its Tel Aviv operations, but Transportation Minister Miri Regev has reportedly withheld approval while security concerns remain unresolved.
The airline has indicated that its internal investigation is nearing completion and that several employees have already been dismissed. Israeli transportation officials have also been invited to Dubai for discussions about the security measures necessary to restore service.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has launched a separate aviation safety investigation into the incident, with participation from American and Emirati authorities. The inquiry will examine the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s sudden descent and emergency landing, while the UAE continues its criminal investigation into the alleged attack.
The investigations are expected to examine whether information about al-Hammami’s previous employment and reported extremist views should have prevented his hiring, and whether the airline’s rapid expansion contributed to weaknesses in its recruitment and screening processes.
A Flydubai spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that the company is cooperating with investigators and emphasized that the safety and well-being of its passengers, crew members and operations remain its highest priority.
