An Omani pilot accused of attempting to hijack a flydubai passenger jet bound for Tel Aviv intended to crash the aircraft directly into Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s national security adviser confirmed.
The alleged attacker, 29-year-old co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, had been planning the operation for months, according to Eytan Ben-David, national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former aviation security chief. Speaking to the London Telegraph, Ben-David stated that al-Hammami may have abandoned an earlier attempt in July because someone he knew was serving among the flight crew.
“He was here for the first time in July, then on the second time that month, one of his friends or family was in the crew so he aborted and delayed,” Ben-David said. “He wanted to commit a terror attack to crash into Ben Gurion Airport.”
Flight 1073 and the Midair Struggle
The attempted hijacking took place on September 30 during Sukkot, a seven-day Jewish autumn harvest festival that begins five days after Yom Kippur. Ben Gurion is Israel’s busiest international airport, with approximately 2.5 million travelers passing through the facility in September.
According to reports from ABC News and the Telegraph, the flight plunged thousands of feet in an apparent attempt by the co-pilot to crash the aircraft. A disaster was averted when the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back alongside passengers. Passenger Yaniv Hayun dragged the suspect from the cockpit, took control of the plane, and leveled it before a third pilot took over the controls. The flydubai aircraft ultimately made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a video released by his office that the intention was to “crash the plane, killing everyone on board” Flight 1073 from Dubai. Al-Hammami was initially detained in Saudi Arabia following the emergency landing and was subsequently transferred into the custody of the United Arab Emirates.
Oman Air Flagged Pilot as Security Risk
Al-Hammami, an Omani national born to an Omani father and a Syrian mother, joined Oman Air in 2018 and became a pilot in early 2022. Intelligence and law enforcement officials told ABC News that he had been flagged as a security risk by Oman Air in 2024 after concerns were raised regarding his interest in extremist material online. He was suspended as a trainee co-pilot, put through a deradicalization program, and moved to a desk job before leaving Oman Air in early 2025.
Following his departure, al-Hammami traveled to Morocco and sought work with Royal Air Maroc, undergoing three months of preliminary training in 2025 before being rejected for employment. He joined flydubai in February and was subsequently assigned to flights operating to Israel, despite a ban on pilots from enemy countries.
Investigators are still examining how al-Hammami cleared security vetting to fly for flydubai. Ben-David noted that procedures already exist requiring crew lists to be submitted to Israel for security screening. He cited a 2016 precedent in which an Iranian pilot flying for Turkish Airlines was detected after landing in Israel and sent back to Istanbul.
“In the past, the Iranian pilot was taken out because of these checks,” Ben-David said. “He was sent back to Istanbul. I don’t know what happened since then. I can’t say this procedure is working in recent years… We have to do better.” He added that the failure would be examined by investigators, noting, “The problem is we are not implementing our own rules.”
Investigation Into Possible State Sponsors
Israeli and international officials have indicated that al-Hammami likely acted alone rather than on behalf of a state sponsor or militant group. Ben-David stated that investigators believe the pilot was a lone actor.
“It’s a gamble. I can’t be sure,” Ben-David said. “When it happened I thought to myself, it’s a lone wolf and not someone sending him, the Iranians or an organisation. It seems that he was doing it by himself.”
United States Vice President JD Vance also stated that he had not seen anything conclusive regarding an Iranian role in the flydubai incident. However, Ben-David noted that Netanyahu had received intelligence indicating the pilot had undergone radicalization and been “brainwashed.”
Flydubai stated in a published notice that, at the request of authorities, the airline temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice, and confirmed that a full official investigation led by relevant authorities is underway.
