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Flydubai Co-Pilot Attack Triggers Safe Diversion to Tabuk

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 1:59 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani co-pilot for Flydubai, attacked the captain with a crash axe on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
The aircraft dropped about 17,000 ft in 30 seconds over Saudi Arabia.
Passengers entered the cockpit, restrained al-Hammami, and restored control.
The plane diverted and landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk.
Oman barred al-Hammami for extremist views, prompting Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi, UAE attorney general, to open a terrorist-attack investigation.

History

Historical Context

In 1976 the Entebbe hijacking of Air France Flight 139 left 102 hostages rescued after Israel’s Operation Thunderbolt, while the disappearance of Israeli hostage Dora Bloch prompted Britain to sever diplomatic ties with Uganda on 28 July. The 2024 Flydubai episode, in which Omani pilot Hamam al-Hammami brandished an axe and the plane diverted to Tabuk, revives calls for crew screening rooted in those Entebbe reforms.

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Story summary

Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani co-pilot for Flydubai, attacked the captain with a crash axe on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
The aircraft dropped about 17,000 ft in 30 seconds over Saudi Arabia.
Passengers entered the cockpit, restrained al-Hammami, and restored control.
The plane diverted and landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk.
Oman barred al-Hammami for extremist views, prompting Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi, UAE attorney general, to open a terrorist-attack investigation.

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