Oman barred radical pilot; flydubai hired

An Omani national who was reportedly prevented from pursuing a flying career in Oman after authorities identified his interest in extremist websites later joined Flydubai and was rostered on a Tel Aviv-bound flight-without, according to Omani officials, any foreign Government or airline first asking Muscat for a background check.

The disclosure raises a critical question at the heart of the investigation into the 30 September incident involving Flydubai flight FZ161: how did a pilot whose aviation career had reportedly been restricted in Oman pass the security checks required to fly internationally?

According to information obtained by The Pioneer, Hamam al-Hammami is an Omani national born in the UAE. His mother is of Syrian origin. He spent significant periods of his life outside Oman, including while his father worked in the UAE, staying with his mother in Syria, and later while studying abroad.

The individual reportedly worked briefly as a trainee with an Omani airline. Omani authorities say they identified, at an early stage, his interest in accessing extremist websites and subsequently prevented him from continuing in the aviation sector.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Pioneer the restriction stemmed from concerns about extremist or radical ideological material. However, the precise administrative action taken against him-including whether he was formally grounded, transferred to a non-flying position or otherwise restricted-has not been publicly documented.

What is clearer, according to Omani officials, is what happened next: Muscat was never asked to provide its security information before the individual obtained aviation employment outside Oman. Omani authorities say they received no request from Flydubai or another foreign Government to conduct a background check on him.

Had such a request been made, officials say, Oman would have provided the information available to it.

Flydubai has not publicly contradicted that assertion, nor have the UAE authorities explained it independently.

The case now places the spotlight on the background-screening process used when aviation personnel move between jurisdictions.

If information about an individual’s previous aviation history and security assessment existed in Oman, why did Muscat apparently not consult?

Was the information never sought? Was it not required under the applicable recruitment procedure? Was it unavailable to the authorities conducting the check? Or did another mechanism assess the individual’s background?

The UAE is leading the investigation into the 30 September incident. The aircraft, carrying 182 people, diverted to Tabuk after the co-pilot was accused of attacking the captain with a cockpit crash axe and was reportedly overpowered by crew members and passengers.

The UAE has described the incident as a terrorist attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the suspect underwent Islamist radicalisation. Those characterisations form part of the ongoing investigation and have not, at this stage, been tested in court.

There is also no public evidence establishing that the accused acted as part of a wider extremist network.

The individual’s nationality has generated another unresolved question because of the Dubai-Tel Aviv route.

Claims have emerged about nationality requirements connected to the aviation arrangements between Israel and the UAE. However, accounts about whether those arrangements contain a specific nationality restriction for pilots appear to conflict.

Some sources have suggested that the individual held another nationality that would have enabled him to satisfy applicable requirements. Other accounts say he held no second nationality and that the relevant bilateral arrangements contain no such clause.

The Pioneer has not independently established which account is correct.

That makes the documentary record crucial: his passports and nationality status, the aviation agreement governing the route, his employment file, and the background checks conducted before his recruitment could answer questions that currently remain open.

The emerging sequence is striking: an Omani aviation trainee reportedly came to the attention of authorities over extremist online activity; his aviation career in Oman was subsequently restricted; he left the country; and he later entered aviation employment abroad-while Muscat says nobody asked it for the information it held.

Whether that represents an administrative failure, a gap in international aviation-security procedures, an oversight in recruitment screening, or something more serious remains to be established.

The Pioneer has sought responses from Flydubai, Oman Air and the relevant Omani authorities on the individual’s recruitment and previous aviation history. At the time of publication, it had not received detailed responses.

Al-Hammami remains in UAE custody as the investigation continues. A court has not adjudicated the allegations against him.

Extremist PILOT VETTING gap

• Omani national, born in the UAE, with a Syrian-origin mother; spent significant periods in the UAE, Syria and abroad for studies
• Briefly worked as a trainee at an Omani airline but was barred after authorities identified his extremist behaviour, which subsequently led him to leave Oman
• Oman received no requests for background checks before his employment with flydubai
• Under the Israel-UAE aviation agreement, pilots on the route must hold UAE nationality or that of a country with normalised ties with Israel, suggesting he may have another nationality
• Oman says it would have shared available information had it been asked, pointing to possible negligence, oversight or deliberate disregard in the vetting process.

Dubai Prince visits injured pilot

Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who is recovering in a Dubai hospital after being attacked by his co-pilot during a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Machchhar was seriously injured when co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami allegedly attacked him with a cockpit crash axe.

As the pilots struggled, the aircraft reportedly lost significant altitude. Despite his injuries, Machchhar opened the cockpit door and alerted passengers, who rushed forward and helped overpower the attacker.

After meeting Machchhar, Sheikh Hamdan expressed his “full appreciation and praise” for the pilot, saying he was proud that Machchhar was part of the UAE’s story.

The Indian pilot has also received praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other international leaders.