The co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a Flydubai passenger jet allegedly planned for months to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into a building or another plane at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to reports citing Israeli and Emirati investigations.
The allegations have raised fresh questions over aviation security and the potential for cockpit access to be exploited by an individual intent on turning a commercial flight into a weapon.
The incident occurred last Wednesday aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The UAE prosecutor general described the attack as a “terrorist attack”, alleging that the co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, assaulted the captain with an emergency crash axe.
Al-Hammami is under arrest in the United Arab Emirates and is being questioned by investigators.
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According to reports in Hebrew-language media, investigators believe the alleged plan was considerably more elaborate than an attack carried out in the cockpit.
Al-Hammami allegedly told investigators that he intended to attack the captain, seize control of the aircraft and continue flying normally until the plane received clearance to land at Ben Gurion. He would then have crashed the aircraft into a building or another aircraft at the airport, the reports said.
Two Israeli officials reportedly told investigators that al-Hammami had conceived the plan before he was employed by Flydubai. A third source familiar with the UAE investigation said he had previously operated a flight to Tel Aviv and had considered hijacking that aircraft and crashing it as well.
That earlier plan was ultimately abandoned, although investigators have not established why.
According to Channel 13, al-Hammami told investigators: “I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose Flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted.”
The suspect is also alleged to have visited Ben Gurion Airport repeatedly while operating Flydubai flights in recent months. During a visit in June, investigators were reportedly told he “focused on gathering information and planning an attack”.
He allegedly intended to act in July but cancelled the plan at the last moment because he was friends with a crew member.
The attack last week was reportedly timed to occur only after the aircraft had crossed into Jordanian airspace. Investigators believe the delay may have been designed to reduce the chance that passengers or crew would identify the threat early enough to intervene.
The plan was disrupted when Captain Smit Machchhar, despite being attacked and stabbed, managed to open the cockpit door.
Israeli passengers then intervened and restrained al-Hammami. One passenger helped stabilise the aircraft, before two off-duty pilots travelling on the flight took control and successfully diverted the aircraft to Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
The episode has highlighted the importance of the final layer of protection around commercial cockpits, particularly on flights approaching politically sensitive destinations.
Israeli investigators have not directly questioned al-Hammami. Information about his alleged plans has instead reportedly been passed to Israel through Saudi and Emirati investigations.
Israel has asked the UAE to broaden its questioning to include the flight attendants, according to Channel 12.
The UAE and Israeli authorities have not officially commented on the reported details of the investigation, while Flydubai has also yet to issue a public account of the allegations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meanwhile said pilots who are citizens of countries with which Israel does not maintain diplomatic relations, including Oman, are not permitted to operate flights to Israel.
Following the incident, Israel immediately suspended all Flydubai flights into the country.
The investigation now centres on a troubling question for aviation security: whether the alleged attack represented an isolated act by one individual, or exposed vulnerabilities that could be exploited by others seeking to turn passenger aircraft into instruments of mass destruction.
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