Flydubai Co-Pilot Hamam al-Hammami Trained Across UK, Australia, NZ: How Did He Slip Through Safety Checks?

The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of Flydubai flight FZ1073 during a midair cockpit confrontation had undergone pilot training in the UK and New Zealand and also had links to Australia, according to reports and authorities.

The international training history of Hamam al-Hammami, 29, has raised questions over how he cleared the checks and assessments required to work as a commercial pilot.

Al-Hammami allegedly attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe while the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was in the air last week. UAE prosecutors have described the incident as a “terrorist attack”.

UK Pilot Training

The Telegraph reported that al-Hammami is believed to have trained at L3 Airline Academy in England between 2018 and 2019.

L3 Airline Academy, part of Acron Aviation, operates major pilot-training facilities in Southampton and Bournemouth, as well as a simulator centre near Gatwick.

Acron Aviation has not confirmed whether al-Hammami trained with the company, citing its policy of not discussing individual current or former students. It said it would cooperate with authorities investigating the incident.

• Six Months In New Zealand
• His training also took him to New Zealand.

New Zealand Police said al-Hammami was in the country between November 2018 and May 2019 on a six-month student visa. He was reportedly completing part of his flight training there for a UK-based company that has since stopped operating in New Zealand.

The stint forms another part of the international training trail that preceded his career in commercial aviation.

Australia Links Under Probe

Australian authorities are also examining al-Hammami’s connections to the country.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team — made up of the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation — is investigating his links to Australia, the Australian Federal Police said.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed the precise nature of those links or whether they were connected to his aviation training.

RMIT University Connection

Al-Hammami is also reported to have studied in Melbourne.

Reuters, citing sources, reported that he attended RMIT University. The university confirmed that a former student believed to be linked to the Flydubai incident had been enrolled there but did not complete an engineering qualification.

RMIT did not identify the individual.

How Did He Clear Pilot Safety Checks?

The details of al-Hammami’s training and education across multiple countries are likely to come under scrutiny as investigators examine his background.

However, his having trained or studied in different countries does not by itself indicate that he had previously raised safety concerns or failed any aviation assessment. Investigators will need to establish whether there were warning signs in his training, employment or personal history that should have prompted additional scrutiny.

The incident occurred aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 while it was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The UAE prosecutor general has described the alleged cockpit attack as a terrorist incident.

The investigation is expected to examine both the events aboard the aircraft and the checks carried out during al-Hammami’s path from trainee pilot to commercial co-pilot.