Flydubai co-pilot used cockpit axe in failed 'terrorist attack' on Israel-bound flight

On Wednesday morning, a flydubai flight carrying 182 people toward Tel Aviv entered a catastrophic descent that lasted just over thirty seconds. The aircraft plunged 16,625 feet so violently that part of its rudder tore away. What stopped the plane from continuing its fall was not an autopilot correction or a mechanical failsafe, but the intervention of passengers and crew who forced their way into the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot, who was armed with a crash axe and attacking the captain.

The co-pilot, identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national, used the axe—a tool kept in the cockpit for emergency situations—to repeatedly stab the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar. The UAE prosecutor general, Gen Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, characterized the assault as a terrorist attack. Machchhar, bleeding from multiple wounds, made a decision that likely saved everyone aboard. Despite his injuries, he used his remaining strength to unlock the cockpit door from the inside, allowing crew members who had heard the commotion to enter and restrain al-Hammami. Two reserve pilots who were passengers on the flight then safely landed the aircraft at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Investigators are now examining how al-Hammami reached the cockpit in the first place. His presence there raises urgent questions about aviation security and background vetting. According to reporting by the Wall Street Journal, Oman had barred al-Hammami from flying due to concerns about extremist views. He was subsequently moved to an administrative position at Oman Air before being hired by flydubai, the UAE-based budget carrier. The extent of his vetting when he joined flydubai remains unclear. A British university, Buckinghamshire New University, confirmed that a student named Hamam al-Hammami had completed a distance-learning course in aviation management there, though he received no pilot training at the institution.

The investigation involves security agencies from four regional countries, supported by the US and other Western governments. Officials are working to determine whether al-Hammami acted alone or had connections to extremist organizations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radicalisation" but offered no supporting evidence. He also said Israel was investigating whether al-Hammami acted under anyone's direction and warned that anyone involved would face severe consequences. Israel and Oman do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, and Israel has agreements with foreign carriers to restrict pilots from nations with which it lacks diplomatic ties from entering its airspace.

Machchhar's actions during the attack have drawn widespread praise. In a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the captain described his mindset as the assault unfolded: he was fighting for his own survival but determined not to allow others to die. Netanyahu invited both Machchhar and Modi to light a ceremonial flame at Israel's Independence Day celebration in May, a role traditionally reserved for Israeli citizens. The captain's Instagram account was active until the day of the flight, then deleted. Most of the passengers aboard were Israeli nationals.

Flydubai has suspended its flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv indefinitely. A former crew member told the Wall Street Journal that the airline subjects all pilots to security screening before flights and medical checks at least annually. The airline itself has declined to comment further, saying the investigation is ongoing. Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the UAE president, called the attack a "dangerous terrorist act." The incident tests the UAE's reputation for effective counterextremism measures while simultaneously exposing a significant gap: how someone flagged for extremist concerns in one country's aviation system was able to access a sensitive cockpit position in another.