THE Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv had allegedly chosen the airline because of its Israel route and was planning to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport, according to Israeli media reports citing details from his interrogation.
Hamam al-Hammami, who is being held in the United Arab Emirates, allegedly planned to kill Indian captain Smit Machchhar before taking control of Flight FZ1073 as it approached Israel.
The reported plan was to allow the flight to continue as normal, obtain clearance to land and then deliberately crash the aircraft into a building or another plane at the airport.
Al-Hammami was allegedly planning to make his move while the aircraft was over Jordan, as it approached Israeli airspace.
The timing, according to the reports, was intended to delay detection until the aircraft was close to its target.
Ben Gurion Airport was reportedly his main target.
If he could not reach it, he allegedly considered crashing into a skyscraper in Tel Aviv or attacking a US military facility in Jordan.
The reported interrogation details also suggest that the alleged plan had been conceived before al-Hammami joined flydubai.
The Jerusalem Post reported that he had researched airlines operating flights to Tel Aviv before applying to flydubai and later told investigators that this was a reason he chose the carrier.
After joining the airline, he reportedly flew to Ben Gurion several times.
A trip in June was allegedly used to gather information for the planned attack.
He was reportedly considering carrying it out in July but abandoned the attempt after discovering that a crew member on the flight was a friend.
The alleged plot only came to light after the September 30 cockpit attack, when al-Hammami allegedly turned on Machchhar and struck him with an emergency crash axe.
Machchhar later said the co-pilot had asked to pray shortly before the attack.
Despite suffering serious injuries, the captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing other crew members and passengers to intervene and restrain al-Hammami.
Two off-duty flydubai pilots travelling as passengers then took over the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Reuters reported that the aircraft lost more than 16,000 feet in altitude in about 30 seconds during the incident.
Machchhar is recovering from his injuries and has since spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the attack.
The incident has also raised questions about how al-Hammami was allowed to operate flights to Israel despite concerns that had previously been raised about him.
Officials familiar with the case said he had earlier been removed from flying duties in Oman over concerns involving extremist material or views.
The Associated Press and other international media have reported that authorities are examining how those concerns were handled before he subsequently joined flydubai.
Israeli authorities have also ordered a review of security arrangements involving foreign civilian aviation following the attack.
Investigators in the UAE and elsewhere are now trying to determine whether al-Hammami acted alone and whether he had any links to an extremist organisation.
Reuters reported that there was no evidence of Iranian involvement at this stage, while investigators continue to examine his motive and whether anyone else was involved. – October 5, 2026
