New Information About the Co-Pilot at Flydubai.. Studied at a British University

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Western media outlets are rushing to exclusively publish information and images related to the FlyDubai plane incident amid a strong public desire worldwide to learn more about what happened on the flight that was headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv last Wednesday morning, which was subjected to an attempted hijacking.

The widely circulated British newspaper "Metro" reported on its website on Saturday morning that the co-pilot, who is suspected of attempting to hijack the plane and deliberately crash it, is an Omani citizen who previously studied at a British university.

According to new details in the report reviewed by "Al Arabiya.net", the co-pilot, Omani citizen Hamam Al-Hamami, 29 years old, had completed his studies and obtained a degree in aviation management through distance learning from Buckinghamshire New University in 2023.

The British newspaper indicated that Al-Hamami had previously been banned from working in the Sultanate of Oman for security reasons, while the American network "ABC News" reported that he had previously trained with his country's national carrier in 2024, but was transferred to an administrative position after extremist materials were found in his possession.

On its part, Royal Air Maroc, the national airline of Morocco, stated in a statement to the Associated Press (AP) that the co-pilot of the "Fly Dubai" aircraft "completed a three-month theoretical training period with the company in 2025, as part of pre-employment procedures. At the end of that training period, his application for employment was not selected. No further details were disclosed.

On the other hand, Keith Coles, a spokesperson for Buckinghamshire New University in England, told AP that the co-pilot had previously completed a remote training course in aviation management there, but "did not undergo any pilot training," and did not disclose further details about the timing of that.

Little is known immediately about the co-pilot's background. His account on the Instagram application was active until the day of the flight and was deleted afterward.

Two sources and an Israeli official told CNN that the co-pilot is an Omani citizen named Hamam Al-Hammami. One of the sources added that Al-Hammami was born in the UAE to an Omani father and a Syrian mother, and spent many years of his life in the UAE.

According to CNN, a profile on LinkedIn bearing the name Hamam Al-Hammami showed that he worked for Oman Air for 7 years and left in February 2025, before joining Royal Air Maroc in June 2025, and leaving in January 2026, without the profile mentioning his work with Fly Dubai. One of the sources confirmed that this profile indeed belongs to the Fly Dubai pilot involved in the incident on Wednesday. It is noted that the profile was later deleted.

Preliminary information revealed that the co-pilot of Flydubai flight number 1073, which was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, attacked the captain of the plane with an axe in an attempt to hijack it, causing the aircraft to enter a sudden and severe descent.

The plane was able to land safely thanks to the intervention of two pilots who were passengers on the flight (off-duty), who assisted the Indian captain "Smit Machhar" in regaining control of the aircraft.

The newspaper "Metro" quoted a Gulf diplomat, who requested anonymity, stating that Al-Hammami is the co-pilot who was present in the cockpit, adding that an investigation is currently underway to determine whether he acted as a "lone wolf" or if he has ties to any armed groups.