Flydubai co-pilot allegedly planned Ben Gurion crash, targeted captain to seize control

The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a flydubai flight bound for Israel had allegedly planned to use the aircraft as a weapon and crash it at Ben Gurion Airport, according to Israeli media reports.

Hamam al-Hammami allegedly told investigators that he intended to fly the aircraft to Tel Aviv before crashing it into a building or another aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. The revelations were reported by Israel’s Channel 13 and News24.

The investigation has also raised fresh questions about how al-Hammami was allowed to operate a passenger flight to Israel despite reports that he had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his extremist views.

The incident involved flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 with 182 people on board. UAE authorities have described the incident as a terrorist attack.

Plot allegedly preceded his flydubai employment

According to Israeli reports, al-Hammami told investigators that the plan had been formulated before he joined flydubai. He allegedly chose the airline specifically because it operated flights to Tel Aviv.

“I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted,” he reportedly told investigators.

He allegedly intended to kill Indian Captain Smit Machchhar inside the locked cockpit before taking control of the aircraft and carrying out the attack.

Al-Hammami also reportedly said he had used earlier trips to Israel to gather information and prepare for the operation. He had initially planned to carry out the attack in July, but abandoned that attempt after becoming friendly with one of the crew members.

Investigators were also reportedly told that he had a contingency plan. If he could not reach Israel, he allegedly intended to crash the aircraft into a US military base in Jordan.

Another Israeli report said al-Hammami had previously travelled to Israel in June and was preparing himself to become a “martyr”.

Aircraft plunged 16,000 feet during cockpit struggle

The attack began while the aircraft was over Jordan. Al-Hammami allegedly assaulted Machchhar with the cockpit’s emergency crash axe before attempting to take control of the aircraft.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he also interfered with the aircraft’s controls, allegedly switching off the engines and pushing the rudders forward. The aircraft then plunged about 16,000 feet in less than a minute and approached the speed of sound.

Reuters reported that the Boeing 737 MAX 8’s descent lasted about 30 seconds. A flight simulator recreation described the experience as resembling a highly violent vertical roller coaster because of the extreme forces involved.

Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers and crew members then rushed inside, restrained al-Hammami and helped regain control of the aircraft.

Two off-duty pilots who were travelling on the flight subsequently took over and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Al-Hammami was detained and later transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where he remains in custody as the UAE leads the investigation.

Australian authorities probe his background

Australian counter-terrorism authorities are separately examining al-Hammami’s links to the country.

He reportedly spent time in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017 while studying. Australian authorities have launched inquiries into his activities and possible links to radicalisation during his time there.

Reports have differed on details of his education, with some accounts saying he studied engineering at RMIT University, while other reports have linked him to aviation-related studies. Reuters reported that RMIT confirmed he had been enrolled but did not successfully complete an engineering qualification.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, involving Australian federal and state police as well as the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, is investigating his links to Australia.

A Financial Times report, cited by Reuters, said al-Hammami had allegedly visited what were described as radical mosques and accessed extremist websites while in Australia. Reuters said it could not independently verify those claims.

Previous flying restrictions raise security questions

Al-Hammami’s aviation history has become a central part of the investigation.

Reports say he had previously been barred from flying by Oman because of concerns over his extremist views. ABC News reported that, while working as a co-pilot trainee for Oman Air in 2024, he was found to possess extremist material and was grounded from flying for a period.

Despite that history, he later joined flydubai and was assigned to the Tel Aviv-bound flight.

Israeli officials have also raised questions over how an Omani national was permitted to operate a flight to Israel, given that Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and Israeli authorities have previously said pilots from countries without diplomatic ties should not operate such flights.

The UAE had shared passenger and crew information with Israel before Flight FZ1073, including nationalities. Israeli officials said no warning was raised about al-Hammami before the flight.

The episode has therefore triggered scrutiny of how information on foreign airline crews is exchanged and vetted between airlines, regulators and security agencies.

Netanyahu orders review of foreign aviation security

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a review of security arrangements covering international flights arriving in Israel following the incident.

He instructed the National Security Council to appoint an examiner to conduct a comprehensive review of security aspects relating to foreign civil aviation.

The move has revived concerns identified in an earlier Israeli State Comptroller report, which in 2024 highlighted shortcomings in the security arrangements surrounding foreign airlines operating to and from Israel.

The investigation is being conducted by authorities in the UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia, with Australian agencies examining al-Hammami’s background. Oman has not publicly commented on the case.

Authorities are also trying to establish whether al-Hammami acted alone or had links to an extremist organisation. No confirmed evidence of such a wider network has been publicly established so far.

The incident has meanwhile prompted broader questions over pilot vetting, insider threats and the extent to which foreign airline crews operating sensitive international routes are screened.

For Captain Smit Machchhar, however, the immediate priority was survival. Despite being seriously injured during the cockpit assault, his decision to force open the cockpit door allowed passengers and other crew members to intervene and helped prevent the aircraft from becoming a weapon over Israel.