Missed warning signs, unchecked lists: Security lapses that allowed Omani co-pilot on Israel-bound flydubai flight

A string of major security lapses that emerged during the investigation into the flydubai incident has raised questions about official agency protocols, which allowed an Omani co-pilot to allegedly attempt crashing an Israel-bound flight of the airline last week.

flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday escaped a disaster on its way from Dubai. (File Photo/AFP)Despite pre-flight manifest sharing, Oman's prior concerns over the co-pilot's extremist views, and Israeli aviation rules regarding non-diplomatic nations, authorities reportedly failed to act on the warning signs before the flight departed.

flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday escaped a disaster on its way from Dubai, plummeting thousands of feet amid the alleged attack on the captain by the co-pilot.

The flydubai co-pilot attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar in an alleged bid to crash the Tel Aviv-bound flight.

Despite being wounded, Captain Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door and signal his distress to passengers and crew, who reportedly rushed into the cockpit and subdued the attacker.

According to reports, the co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. However, his identity has not been officially confirmed.

The UAE said that the co-pilot attacked the flight's captain with the cockpit's crash axe and tried to take control of the plummeting plane in an alleged "terrorist attack", The Associated Press reported.

His actions endangered the lives of 182 people on board, including flydubai's crew.

The UAE authorities had shared a list of passengers and crew with Israel ahead of the flight, according to an AP report. The regional officials said Emirati authorities had shared information about the passengers and crew, including their nationalities.

However, according to officials, Israel did not raise red flags on any passenger or member of the crew.

Furthermore, officials cited in the report have said that the Omani co-pilot had been barred from flying by his own country due to concerns related to his extremist views.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said on Thursday that Tel Aviv has agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots from flying into the country if they are citizens of nations that do not have maintained diplomatic relations with Israel, the report noted.

This raises questions about how a citizen of Oman, a country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel, was allowed to fly to Tel Aviv.

Israel's domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, reportedly said the transportation ministry is responsible for vetting passenger lists.

On the other hand, Israel's transportation minister Miri Regev, in a post on X, said the security agencies are responsible for flight security and that her ministry was not given a list of passengers.

"The Ministry of Transportation is not exposed to passenger and crew lists data. The Ministry of Transportation is not an intelligence body; it doesn't check, isn't supposed to check, and doesn't have access to the data at all! The entities exposed to the data are intelligence bodies only," the minister wrote.

"And yes, we at the Ministry of Transportation, together with intelligence bodies, are doing everything to ensure passenger safety," Regev added.

Meanwhile, according to the AP report, Dvir Rubenstien, the head of aviation security at the transportation ministry, told Army Radio that the ministry relies on local security checks and does not have the tools to check each passenger on every flight.

Oman had banned the co-pilot from flying, put him on a desk job, and sent him to a de-radicalisation program, but did not flag their concerns more broadly, WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The report further highlighted that when flydubai hired him, it did not contact Oman to vet his experience. However, the company did a criminal background check, it added.

Additionally, the flydubai staff who hired the Omani co-pilot are also reportedly being investigated by Emirati authorities.

Meanwhile, people familiar with the matter, as cited by WSJ, said that if Oman had pulled his license, it likely would have been flagged to the UAE.

Background: Hammami, 29, was born to an Omani father and Syrian mother. He lives in Dubai and frequently visited Syria as a teenager, where investigators suspect he began radicalising, the WSJ reported.

Education and scrutiny: He studied in Australia. The local police reportedly said on Sunday that counterterrorism officials were investigating his possible connections to the country.

Career path: After becoming a pilot in 2022, the authorities disallowed him from flying in 2024 after they found he was browsing extremist content and grew concerned about his radical views, the report noted. Following this, he was assigned to an administrative role.

He left Oman Air in early 2025 and joined flydubai in February 2026.

Anushka Awasthi is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, where she covers politics, geopolitics, and major national and international developments. She holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), New Delhi. Passionate about India's political landscape, Anushka believes that politics shapes every aspect of society, from public policy to everyday life. This drives her to deliver timely, accurate, and researched news that helps readers make sense of everyday developments. Before joining Hindustan Times, Anushka worked with the Zee News English website, reporting extensively on Indian politics and international affairs. During her tenure, she also wrote a range of interviews and analytical stories, focusing on key political and international affairs events. Her reporting is driven by a strong interest in journalism and a dedication to balanced reporting. She strives to present news with clarity and context in the digital era. She aims to ensure that readers stay informed about issues that matter. Outside the newsroom, she enjoys planning her next travel adventure to various corners of India, reading classical books, and binging sitcoms. A coffee enthusiast, she is always on the lookout for new places and experiences.Read More