Dubai — FlyDubai Hired Co-Pilot Oman Had Banned Over Radical Views

FlyDubai hired a co-pilot whom Oman had previously banned from flying over his radical views, according to The Wall Street Journal. That co-pilot, identified by the paper as Hamam al-Hammami, later stabbed the captain of Flight 1073 and nearly brought down the aircraft, the Journal reported.

What happened aboard Flight 1073?

The Wall Street Journal reports that al-Hammami, serving as co-pilot, stabbed the captain of FlyDubai Flight 1073 during the flight. The attack nearly caused the plane to crash, according to the Journal's reporting. The paper's account does not specify the route, date, or how the flight ultimately landed, and HTT News has not independently verified additional details beyond what the Journal published.

Who is Hamam al-Hammami?

According to the Journal, al-Hammami worked as a co-pilot for FlyDubai, the Dubai-based budget carrier owned by the Emirate of Dubai's government. The paper identifies him as the attacker in the Flight 1073 incident. The Journal's reporting does not include his age, nationality beyond his ties to Oman, or prior flying history with other carriers.

Why had Oman banned him from flying?

Oman barred al-Hammami from flying because of what the Journal describes as his radical views. The report does not detail the specific content of those views, when the Omani ban was issued, or which authority in Oman imposed it. The Journal's account frames the ban as a known red flag that predated his employment at FlyDubai.

How did FlyDubai come to hire him anyway?

The Journal reports that FlyDubai hired al-Hammami after Oman had already banned him from flying over his views. The report does not explain whether FlyDubai knew about the Omani ban at the time of hiring, what vetting process the airline used, or whether information about the ban crossed between Omani and UAE aviation authorities. Those gaps are central to the accountability questions the incident raises for airline hiring and cross-border security screening in the Gulf.

What is not yet known?

The Journal's published account, as summarized by HTT News, establishes the sequence — an Omani ban over radical views, followed by a FlyDubai hire, followed by a mid-flight knife attack on the captain — but does not include the flight's origin and destination, the date of the attack, the captain's condition, or whether al-Hammami has been charged or detained. It is also unclear whether UAE aviation regulators or FlyDubai have commented publicly on the hiring decision.

What happens next?

Questions likely to follow include whether UAE authorities will investigate FlyDubai's screening practices, whether Oman and the UAE will review how such bans are shared between aviation regulators, and what charges, if any, al-Hammami faces. The Journal's full report, linked above, is the primary source for this incident and the one HTT News will continue to track for additional confirmed details.