FlyDubai co-pilot faces international probe after mid-air axe attack on flight to Israel

Mid-air attack and emergency recovery

During a scheduled flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026, co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked the captain inside the cockpit using an emergency crash axe. The aircraft entered a sudden descent, dropping 16,000 feet in 30 seconds while the struggle took place. Passengers, stand-by crew members, and the injured captain intervened to overpower the 29-year-old co-pilot and stabilize the plane. All 182 passengers and crew members on board survived the flight, which landed safely at its destination. Prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates formally classified the incident as an attempted terrorist attack and placed al-Hammami in custody for interrogation.

Flight school training across the UK and New Zealand

A multi-nation investigation is examining how al-Hammami obtained his commercial pilot credentials. The Omani national completed his pilot training between 2018 and 2019 through the UK-based L3 Airline Academy, an organization now owned by Acron Aviation. Training regulations at the time permitted candidates to complete theoretical ground instruction in Southampton before traveling abroad for practical flight training. Immigration records confirmed that al-Hammami entered New Zealand on a six-month student visa to log flight hours with a local branch of the UK provider. Alongside his flight training, he completed a distance-learning qualification in aviation management through Buckinghamshire New University.

New Zealand police documented that al-Hammami spent 175 days in the country between late 2018 and mid-2019.

“Police can confirm the co-pilot was in New Zealand to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company, no longer operating in New Zealand.”

Australian student records and previous grounding in Oman

Before entering flight academy, al-Hammami spent several years in Australia after securing a student visa in 2014. He enrolled at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017, though the university confirmed he departed without completing his engineering degree. Australia's Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, is reviewing his digital footprint after reports that he accessed extremist websites while in the country. Following his return to the Middle East, Oman Air barred al-Hammami from flight assignments and reassigned him to an administrative desk position because of concerns regarding extremist material.

Airline recruitment gaps and target planning

FlyDubai subsequently hired al-Hammami amid a post-pandemic recruitment drive in which the airline nearly doubled its overall staff. The carrier conducted standard background checks but did not detect his prior operational removal by Omani aviation authorities. Interrogation findings and intelligence reports indicated al-Hammami spent several months planning the attack, including taking multiple trips to Israel to gather information. Officials briefed on the probe stated that he intended to crash the airliner into Ben Gurion Airport or a residential building in central Israel. Investigators believe he operated as a lone wolf and noted that he had aborted a planned attack on an earlier flight after discovering an acquaintance was on board. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli agencies are investigating the co-pilot's ideological radicalization.