WSJ reveals 'missing opportunities' to stop flydubai pilot
In Oman, the pilot who tried to injure the commander and crash the plane was banned from flying because of radical views, flydubai did not ask for information from the former employer, and Israel did not stop his admission to flights
The authorities of Oman, the UAE and Israel failed to check the co-pilot of flydubai Hamam al-Hammami and allowed him to fly, as a result, he attacked the commander of the flight Dubai – Tel Aviv and tried to send the plane to the ground. About it writes The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing officials and sources. The newspaper described the incident as a series of “missed opportunities”.
In 2024, Omani authorities discovered that al-Hammami had visited extremist websites and blogs. He was banned from flying with Oman Air, placed on a deradicalisation programme and transferred to administrative work. However, concerns about his views have not spread to other countries.
When flydubai hired al-Hammami in February, the company checked for a criminal record but did not contact Oman to verify his professional background, a source familiar with the procedure said. Later, the pilot was assigned to flights to Tel Aviv, which he performed repeatedly. The UAE authorities are now checking the airline’s employees involved in his hiring. The carrier refused to comment on the situation until the investigation was completed, the WSJ writes.
Another barrier to al-Hammami’s access to flights was to work in Israel. According to the WSJ, pilots from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, including Oman, are not allowed to fly into the country. Foreign airlines are required to forward passenger and crew lists in advance. The IRS, which maintains the database, confirmed that flydubai provided the list for FZ1073.
However, the Israeli Ministry of Transport has never requested lists from the database since its inception in 2023. The agency told the WSJ that it was unaware of the possibility of access and did not have the necessary intelligence capabilities to screen the crews.
The shortcomings of the control of foreign airlines were noted in a secret report of the State Comptroller of Israel in May 2024. The document pointed to a fragmented responsibility for security and unclear separation of powers. A source familiar with the report said oversight was hampered by a lack of staff and funding.
“Names did not appear to have been properly verified and no proper verification had taken place. That’s how we got into this situation, Eitan Ben-David, the former head of the anti-terrorist bureau under Israeli Prime Minister, told WSJ. "We need to treat this incident as if a disaster happened," he added.
According to the newspaper, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel are checking whether al-Hammami acted alone. They have not yet found any links to foreign states or major terrorist organizations.
The incident occurred on the morning of September 30 on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. There were 174 passengers on board, including 27 children. The plane transmitted alarms, changed its route and landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The press service of flydubai in a comment to Radio RBC confirmed the landing and said that all passengers are safe.
On October 3, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the investigation revealed an attempt by the co-pilot to carry out a terrorist operation. According to him, al-Hammami attacked the commander in the cockpit with an emergency axe and tried to seize control of the aircraft.
Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed to check the safety of foreign civil aviation flying into the country, the prime minister's office said. The head of the National Security Council, Shmuel Ben-Ezra, has been instructed to appoint an inspector to conduct the inspection.
