On 30 September 2026, Flydubai Flight 1073 was en route from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when the first officer allegedly attacked the captain with the cockpit crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. Investigators say he intended to crash the plane into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying 172 passengers and eight crew, plunged thousands of feet before the wounded captain, passengers and other crew members subdued the first officer. Two off-duty Flydubai pilots travelling in the cabin helped bring the aircraft to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

UAE prosecutors identified the suspect as Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, and said he had developed extremist views and pursued an aviation career to carry out an attack. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said the co-pilot's radicalization began in 2017.

The incident has prompted a security review in Israel, with aviation experts calling for tighter crew screening and new cockpit safeguards. The investigation is being led by authorities in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: The Jerusalem Post