An Omani pilot employed by Flydubai reportedly told investigators that he had planned to crash a Boeing 737 MAX into Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, according to reports citing Israeli officials. The pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hamami, was arrested after attempting to hijack flight FZ1023 last week during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
According to passenger accounts and media reports, Hamami attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a small axe approximately two and a half hours into the flight. He attempted to damage the aircraft's controls but was overpowered by passengers and crew members who dragged him out of the cockpit. Two off-duty Flydubai pilots—one British and one from an unspecified European country—then took control of the aircraft and landed it in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The flight carried 172 passengers, most of whom were Israeli. Captain Machchhar was hospitalized with injuries in the UAE; one passenger was also hospitalized but has since been released.
During interrogation by UAE authorities, Hamami reportedly told investigators that he had planned the attack for over a year, beginning before he was employed by Flydubai, according to CBS News reporting that cited unnamed Israeli officials. The Wall Street Journal reported that Hamami told investigators he sought to crash a plane into an Israeli target in response to the situation in the region, though sources did not specify which conflict or event he referenced.
The incident has exposed significant security gaps in how foreign flight crew are vetted for flights to Israel. Israeli officials noted that Hamami should not have been operating flights to Israel, since Oman does not recognize the country and does not maintain normal diplomatic relations with it. Standard Israeli security protocols typically restrict pilots and crew to those from countries that recognize Israel, allowing them to be properly vetted through intergovernmental channels. It remains unclear whether Hamami held dual citizenship, though some officials have suggested this possibility.
According to Israeli officials, Hamami was previously removed from a pilot role at Oman Air over suspected radicalization and was transferred to an office job before voluntarily resigning. He later relocated to the UAE and was hired as a pilot by Flydubai. The airline did not check his background with Oman's government, Israeli officials said. A 2023 Israeli security law requires foreign carriers to submit passenger and crew lists to Israeli authorities ahead of scheduled flights, but Israeli transportation ministry officials and domestic and international intelligence services have stated they are not responsible for reviewing that information.
The attempted hijacking has rattled Israel's defense establishment and prompted a joint investigation by the UAE and Israel, with U.S. and Saudi law enforcement agencies monitoring the case. Security analysts noted that a successful attack on Ben Gurion Airport—Israel's busiest airport and main international hub—could have resulted in hundreds of casualties. Following the incident, Flydubai suspended all flights to Israel on Wednesday. The suspension has created difficulties for Israelis in Dubai attempting to return home, with reports indicating that Emirati authorities refused to approve an Israir rescue flight from Dubai to Israel.
The pilot, Hamam al-Hamami, trained at L3 Airline Academy in Britain and New Zealand, according to reporting by The Telegraph. Investigators have conducted interrogations in the UAE regarding the planned attack and the attempted hijacking.
