An international investigation has revealed that the co-pilot accused of attacking a Flydubai captain with an emergency axe on a Tel Aviv-bound flight spent 175 days in New Zealand for flight training between late 2018 and mid-2019, as authorities across multiple continents probe his background following the thwarted hijacking.
The violent cockpit confrontation occurred aboard Flydubai Flight 1073 on September 30, 2026, as the Boeing 737 carried people from Dubai toward Israel for an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. While the aircraft plummeted roughly 17,000 feet in less than a minute, Indian captain Smit Machchhar fought off his co-pilot despite sustaining multiple severe stab wounds. Captain Machchhar managed to pull open the cockpit door before collapsing, allowing passengers and crew to flood the flight deck and overpower the attacker.
The flight sector of more than 2,100 kilometres is usually covered in three hours. Before joining Flydubai as a direct entry captain in June 2022, Captain Machchhar spent 11 years with Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet, serving as a senior commander and line training captain. Over a career spanning about 15 years, he has logged nearly 9,750 flying hours in total across the Boeing 737-800 and 737 Max. Earlier in his aviation journey, he trained as a pilot at Mainland Air in Dunedin, New Zealand, for 18 months beginning in 2008. School CEO Philip Kean described him as an above-average pilot who later worked as a recruitment agent based in India.
Flight Training Records Trace Suspect Through New Zealand and Australia
New Zealand police confirmed that the co-pilot, identified by The Wall Street Journal as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, entered the country on November 30, 2018, and departed on May 23, 2019. Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson stated that al-Hammami spent 175 days on a student visa to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company that is no longer operating in New Zealand. Minister in charge of aviation James Meager noted that the country trains a number of international pilots, making such student rosters not surprising.
Investigative threads extend further back into the region. Media reports indicated that the suspect had spent time in Australia before reportedly leaving the country in 2017 with his visa cancelled in 2019.
Prior Suspension by Oman Air and Growing Security Questions
Investigators are now scrutinizing how an individual identified as a security risk managed to secure subsequent employment with Flydubai and end up in the flight deck of a commercial airliner headed for Tel Aviv.
Saudi Arabia confirmed an altercation between the captain and the co-pilot in an Interior Ministry statement, noting that initial investigations by competent authorities in the Kingdom were underway. Following his arrest in Saudi Arabia, al-Hammami was transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where he is in custody and undergoing interrogation. During questioning in the UAE, according to an Israeli official cited by CBS News, al-Hammami stated he had planned the attack even before he was employed by Flydubai, intending to fly the plane as normal into Israeli airspace and receive landing clearances from Ben Gurion Airport.
Captain Machchhar and Passengers Hailed for Saving Lives
He explained that during those difficult moments, he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman and traditionally recited as a prayer for strength and courage, telling Modi that Lord Hanuman gave me courage.
“I was fighting for my life.”
Captain Smit Machchhar, via CBC
Passengers inside the cabin described a chaotic scene as the Boeing 737 dropped precipitously.