FlyDubai co-pilot with UK aviation degree tried to hijack Tel Aviv flight
Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old FlyDubai co-pilot who holds a distance-learning aviation management degree from Buckinghamshire New University, seized a cockpit axe and attacked the captain on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old FlyDubai co-pilot, earned a distance-learning aviation management qualification from Buckinghamshire New University in 2023, a program that did not include practical flight training. On a Wednesday flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, he grabbed the emergency axe and repeatedly struck captain Smit Machchhar, causing the Boeing 737 MAX to plunge about 17,000 feet. Despite severe injuries, the captain unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers to subdue al-Hammami and stabilize the aircraft, which then made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said intelligence services are examining possible external direction behind the incident. The case follows earlier Omani bans on al-Hammami for radical views and raises questions about how he passed airline background checks, prompting a joint investigation by UAE and Israeli authorities and a review of aviation security protocols across the region.
Why it matters
The incident exposes gaps in airline crew vetting and heightens security concerns for new Middle-East air routes.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage emphasizes the hijack attempt as a terrorist act and possible external direction, while right-leaning coverage focuses on the Australian counter-terrorism investigation into the co-pilot's visa and background ties.
LEFT
Frames the incident as an attempted terrorist hijack, highlighting the co-pilot's radical background and suggestions of external direction.
RIGHT
Frames the incident as a security investigation into the co-pilot's Australian links and visa history.
The left emphasises
- co-pilot grabbed an emergency axe and repeatedly struck the captain
- possible external direction behind the incident
- radical views and earlier bans cited
The right emphasises
- Australian counter-terrorism agencies probing his student-visa background
- visa cancelled after he was no longer enrolled
- plane landed safely after passengers restrained the co-pilot
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