Flydubai Pilot Attack Raises Aviation Security Concerns

On September 30, Hamam al-Hammami, a co-pilot for Flydubai, is identified as the pilot who attacked a fellow crew member aboard a Tel Aviv-bound flight. The captain’s rapid response prevented a full hijacking and the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, where investigators began examining the flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders.

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Al-Hammami had previously been removed from Oman’s national airline after concerns about extremist views and reassigned to a desk role. He later obtained a pilot’s licence and was hired by Flydubai despite the lack of an international standard for background checks; each country sets its own criteria for air-side passes and police vetting. The United Arab Emirates confirmed that al-Hammami used the cockpit’s crash ax—a tool intended for emergency panel access—during the incident.

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The United Arab Emirates, Israel and Saudi Arabia have opened investigations. Israel’s Ministry of Transport stated that its procedures do not include vetting crew members’ identities, although crew names are submitted to the Israeli Tax Authority and pilots must hold a travel visa. An Israeli official noted uncertainty about how an Omani-passport holder obtained clearance to fly to Israel, given the absence of formal diplomatic ties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the head of the National Security Council to conduct a “thorough examination” of all aspects of foreign civil aviation security entering Israel.

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• “There’s not really anything cast in stone as to how people are vetted — and there should be,” — Alastair Rosenschein, aviation expert

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• “The hiring process at company ‘A’ can be quite different from the process at company ‘B,’ even though it’s a similar role,” — Gideon Ewers, British pilot

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• “Any pilot who’s involved in the recruitment will say their primary question is asking themselves, ‘Would I want to sit in a cockpit with this guy for 12 hours?’” — Alastair Rosenschein, aviation expert

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• “I think that we have to move to a far more serious regulation in the industry because so many lives are at stake in an aircraft,” — Alastair Rosenschein, aviation expert

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• “You have a weapon on the flight deck. Should that remain there? I don’t think it should,” — Alastair Rosenschein, aviation expert

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