AFP investigates Australian links to flydubai co-pilot in alleged cockpit attack

On a flight bound for Tel Aviv carrying 174 people, a co-pilot attacked the captain in the cockpit with a crash axe, stabbing him and attempting to seize control of the aircraft. The plane dropped nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before passengers and crew rushed in to subdue the attacker. The aircraft diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.

The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. The pilot he attacked was Smit Machcharr. The United Arab Emirates, which is leading its own investigation into the incident, has characterized al-Hammami's actions as a terrorist attack. What has now drawn the attention of Australian authorities is al-Hammami's history in the country: he held a student visa and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017 before leaving. His visa was later cancelled in 2019, though not on character grounds—the cancellation came because he was no longer enrolled in a course and therefore no longer eligible to hold a student visa.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, made up of the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, is now investigating whether al-Hammami was radicalized during his time in Australia. An AFP spokesperson said an update would be provided at an appropriate time but offered no further details on the scope or timeline of the investigation.

The incident has exposed significant gaps in aviation security protocols. Al-Hammami is an Omani national, and Oman's national airline had previously barred him from flying due to concerns about extremist views. Yet he was cleared to work for flydubai and ended up on a flight carrying Israeli passengers—a detail that raises questions about how he passed through Israel's notoriously strict security screening. Israel has formal agreements with foreign carriers to prevent pilots from nations without diplomatic ties from operating flights to Israeli destinations. Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations, making his presence on the flight particularly troubling.

Flydubai's hiring practices are now under scrutiny. The airline has not publicly explained how al-Hammami passed its vetting process given his known history. Royal Air Maroc, Morocco's national carrier, disclosed that al-Hammami completed a three-month theoretical training period with the airline in 2025 as part of pre-employment screening, but his application was ultimately rejected. Buckinghamshire New University confirmed he had completed a distance-learning course in aviation management there, though he did not undertake any pilot training.

Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, noted that background check systems vary significantly across countries and that there are substantial limitations on what information can be shared across borders. "In terms of aviation security itself, obviously we want to have as robust background checks as possible," he said. "But there are huge limitations on doing background checks in any case, especially in cross-border checks." His comments underscore a fundamental challenge: even as authorities worldwide seek to tighten security, the fragmented nature of international vetting systems leaves vulnerabilities that determined individuals can exploit.

The UAE government, which has cultivated a reputation for effective counterterrorism measures, has faced criticism over this security lapse. The incident raises uncomfortable questions not just about flydubai's hiring standards but about the broader architecture of aviation security in an era when background information moves slowly across borders and extremist concerns can slip through institutional cracks.