New information about the co-pilot at Flydubai. He studied at a British university

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Western media outlets are rushing to publish information and pictures related to the Flydubai plane accident alone, amid a great desire among public opinion in the world to know more about what happened on the flight that was heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv, last Wednesday morning, and which was subjected to a hijacking attempt.

The widely circulated British newspaper Metro published a report on its website on Saturday morning, in which it said that the co-pilot, who is suspected of trying to hijack the plane and bring it down intentionally, is an Omani citizen who had previously studied at a British university.

According to the new details contained in the report seen by Al Arabiya.net, the co-pilot, Omani citizen Humam Al Hamami, 29 years old, had completed his studies and obtained a degree in aviation management via the distance education system from Buckinghamshire New University in 2023.

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

For its part, Royal Air Maroc, the national airline in Morocco, said in a statement to the Associated Press (AP) that the co-pilot of the Flydubai plane “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 was not selected for employment. It did not reveal further details.”

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

Not much was immediately known about the co-pilot's background. His Instagram account was active until the day of the trip, after which it was deleted.

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

According to CNN, a personal profile on LinkedIn bearing the name Hammam 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 file indicating his work with Flydubai. One source confirmed that this profile actually belongs to the Flydubai pilot involved in Wednesday's incident. It is noteworthy that the file was later deleted.

Preliminary information showed that the co-pilot on Flydubai flight No. 1073, which was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, stabbed the pilot of the plane with an ax in an attempt to hijack it, causing the plane to enter a sharp and sudden descent.

The plane was able to land safely thanks to the intervention of two pilots who were traveling on the flight (off duty), who helped the Indian commander, Smit Machhar, regain control of the plane.

Metro newspaper quoted a Gulf diplomat, who requested to remain anonymous, as saying that Al-Hammami was the co-pilot who was in the cockpit. He added that an investigation is currently underway to determine whether he acted as a “lone wolf” or if he has any connection to any armed groups.