A man now accused of attempting to seize control of a commercial aircraft over Israeli airspace had, years earlier, moved quietly through the flight training systems of New Zealand and Australia — earning certifications, crossing borders, and leaving behind only the ordinary paperwork of a student. The alleged attack aboard a FlyDubai Boeing 737, in which co-pilot Smit Machchhar was stabbed but managed — wounded — to open the cockpit door and allow passengers to subdue the attacker, has prompted authorities in both Pacific nations to ask what, if anything, the records of that earlier passage m
FlyDubai hijacker suspect trained in New Zealand before alleged cockpit attack
Co-pilot Smit Machchhar was seriously injured in a stabbing attack during the alleged hijacking attempt.
He managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to restrain the attacker
Mark
So this person trained in New Zealand in 2018 and 2019, and then years later allegedly tried to hijack a plane. What's the connection—was there something about his time in New Zealand that should have raised flags?
Mimi
That's what authorities are trying to figure out now. Police say they're reviewing records from his stay, but the statement doesn't indicate they've found anything yet. The training company he used no longer operates there, which makes it harder to trace what he was actually doing.
Luke
Right—and we should be careful here. The timeline shows he trained in New Zealand, then apparently went on to work as a co-pilot for FlyDubai. That's a gap of years. We don't know if anything happened during that time that changed him, or if there were warning signs missed, or if this was something that developed later. The fact that he trained here doesn't necessarily mean New Zealand's vetting failed.
Mark
But Australia is also investigating his time there from a decade ago. So authorities on two continents are now looking back at his history. Does that suggest they think there's a pattern?
Mimi
It suggests they're being thorough. The Australian Federal Police statement says they're investigating his "links" to Australia, but it doesn't specify what those links are or what they're looking for. It could be routine background work, or it could be something more specific.
Luke
Exactly. We know he trained in New Zealand and spent time in Australia, but we don't actually know yet whether either country's authorities found anything concerning during those periods, or whether this is all hindsight investigation. The story is still unfolding.
Mark
What about the pilot who was attacked—Machchhar? He also trained in New Zealand, right?
Mimi
Yes, at the same flight school in Dunedin, though years earlier, in 2008. He trained there for about 18 months before going back to India. So there's this odd symmetry—two pilots, both trained in New Zealand, both now connected to this incident, though in very different ways.
Luke
Though we should note that connection is purely geographic. Machchhar was the victim. The fact that they both trained at the same school doesn't suggest anything about the school's security or vetting—it's just where they happened to get their training.
Le Pouls
- A FlyDubai Boeing 737 dropped more than 4,000 meters mid-flight as a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the pilot and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
- Pilot Smit Machchhar, seriously wounded, made the critical decision to open the cockpit door — an act that allowed passengers to physically overpower the attacker and likely prevented catastrophe.
- Investigators quickly traced the suspect's footprint across multiple countries, discovering he had completed flight training in New Zealand in 2018–2019 and spent time in Australia roughly a decade ago.
- The training company through which he certified in New Zealand has since shut down, narrowing the investigative trail at a moment when authorities most need it open.
- A joint Australian counterterrorism team — federal police, state police, and domestic intelligence — has launched a parallel investigation into his time and associations in that country.
- The case is forcing a reckoning with how international aviation training pipelines are monitored, and whether existing vetting systems can detect intent before it becomes action.
A man now accused of attempting to seize control of a commercial aircraft over Israeli airspace had, years earlier, moved quietly through the flight training systems of New Zealand and Australia — earning certifications, crossing borders, and leaving behind only the ordinary paperwork of a student. The alleged attack aboard a FlyDubai Boeing 737, in which co-pilot Smit Machchhar was stabbed but managed — wounded — to open the cockpit door and allow passengers to subdue the attacker, has prompted authorities in both Pacific nations to ask what, if anything, the records of that earlier passage might reveal. It is a question that haunts modern security: how much of a person's future is legible in their past, and who bears the responsibility of reading it.
An Omani co-pilot now in UAE custody following an alleged mid-flight hijacking attempt had spent nearly six months in New Zealand years earlier, completing part of his aviation certification on a student visa. Hammam al-Hammami arrived in November 2018 and departed in May 2019, training through a UK-based company that has since ceased operations in the country — a closure that complicates investigators' efforts to reconstruct that chapter of his life.
The incident that brought him to global attention unfolded aboard a Boeing 737 bound for Israel. Al-Hammami allegedly attacked pilot Smit Machchhar with a knife in an apparent attempt to seize control of the plane. Machchhar — who had his own New Zealand connection, having trained at Mainland Air in Dunedin around 2008 — was seriously injured but managed to open the cockpit door despite his wounds. Passengers rushed in and restrained the attacker as the aircraft plunged more than 4,000 meters.
New Zealand's Assistant Commissioner of Police confirmed the details of al-Hammami's stay, noting that authorities are actively reviewing records and investigating the scope of his activities during that period. Across the Tasman, Australian federal and state police, alongside domestic intelligence services, have opened their own inquiry into his time in Australia roughly a decade ago.
The case has sharpened uncomfortable questions about the international aviation training ecosystem — specifically, whether the movement of student pilots across multiple countries and certification systems creates gaps that security agencies are ill-equipped to monitor. Authorities in both nations are now working to piece together a decade-long portrait of a man whose trajectory, in hindsight, they are only beginning to examine.
An Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing a colleague during an attempted hijacking of a FlyDubai aircraft spent nearly six months in New Zealand completing flight training, according to confirmation from New Zealand police. Hammam al-Hammami arrived in the country on November 30, 2018, on a student visa and remained until May 23, 2019—175 days total—to finish part of his aviation certification through a UK-based flight training company that no longer operates in New Zealand. He is now in custody in the United Arab Emirates following the alleged attack.
The incident itself unfolded aboard a Boeing 737 bound for Israel when al-Hammami allegedly attacked the pilot, Smit Machchhar, with a knife in what authorities believe was an attempt to seize control of the aircraft. Machchhar, who had trained at Mainland Air in Dunedin for approximately 18 months in 2008 before returning to India to pursue his aviation career, was seriously wounded in the assault. Despite his injuries, he managed to open the cockpit door, a critical action that allowed passengers to enter and physically restrain the attacker. As the struggle unfolded, the aircraft descended more than 4,000 meters, according to witness accounts and statements from Israeli authorities.
New Zealand's Assistant Commissioner of Police, Michael Johnson, confirmed the details of al-Hammami's time in the country during a public statement. Immigration records provided the precise timeline: arrival on November 30, 2018, and departure on May 23, 2019. Johnson noted that police were actively reviewing records and conducting inquiries into the nature and scope of al-Hammami's activities during his stay. The training company through which he completed his certification has since ceased operations in New Zealand, limiting some avenues of immediate investigation.
The discovery has prompted a broader international review of the suspect's movements and background. Australian security agencies have launched their own investigation into al-Hammami's time in Australia roughly a decade ago. A joint counterterrorism team comprising federal and state police as well as Australia's domestic intelligence agency is examining his connections to the country, according to a statement from the Australian Federal Police released on Monday.
The case has raised questions about aviation security protocols and the vetting of international flight training students. That a person now accused of attempting to hijack an aircraft was able to complete pilot training in multiple countries over a span of years underscores the challenges faced by immigration and security authorities in identifying potential threats before they materialize. New Zealand and Australian authorities are now working to reconstruct al-Hammami's movements, associations, and activities across the decade-long period spanning his training in both countries.
Citations marquantes
Immigration records show he arrived in New Zealand on 30 November 2018 and departed 23 May 2019, having spent 175 days in the country— Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson, New Zealand Police
Police can confirm the co-pilot was in New Zealand to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company, no longer operating in New Zealand— Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson, New Zealand Police
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