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The FlyDubai Attempted Highjacking and its Regional Implications
On September 30, 2026, FlyDubai Flight 1073 departed from Dubai to Tel Aviv with over 170 passengers, most of them Israelis. During the flight, one co-pilot took over the plane and attempted to crash it into Ben Gurion Airport, southeast of Tel Aviv. He was overpowered by passengers and off-duty pilots, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia with no fatalities.
The attempted hijacking exposes potential security vulnerabilities in the Israeli-Emirati relationship, while highlighting both possibilities and strains in Israeli-Saudi security collaboration.
After the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on September 15, 2020, FlyDubai began flying between Dubai and Tel Aviv in November of that year. These direct flights have boosted economic and social ties between Israel and the Emirates, with passenger traffic reaching 1.53 million total passengers between the two countries in 2025 and total bilateral trade in goods amounting to roughly $14.53 billion from September 2020 to May 2026.
On September 30, 2026, as FlyDubai Flight 1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, crossed into Saudi airspace, co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami used a crash axe to attack his co-pilot, Smit Machchhar. After taking control, the aircraft plummeted 16,000 feet in 30 seconds as he attempted to crash the plane into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. Machchhar ultimately unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene and prevent al-Hammami from further perpetrating the attack. Off-duty pilots diverted the plane and executed an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hammami is a 29-year-old Omani national. Oman is among the majority of Arab League states that do not hold diplomatic ties with Israel. Al-Hammami was previously barred from flying with Oman Air, having been identified as a security risk by Omani authorities due to his radical ideology. United Arab Emirates Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif al-Shamsi concluded that during al-Hammami’s time studying in Melbourne at RMIT University, he began delving into extremist ideology, specifically the takfiri ideology, which glorified terrorism and suicide attacks online. Al-Hammami also referenced the September 11, 2001 attacks as part of his inspiration to become a pilot, reportedly hoping to conduct a similar terrorist attack.
As for relations with the UAE and Israel, FlyDubai has temporarily suspended its Dubai-Tel Aviv route. The incident raises questions about security and intelligence policies on both ends. FlyDubai hired him despite his dismissal from Oman Air, and Israeli authorities had received information about him before the flight and failed to detect a threat.
Israel has since requested an increase in security at the Dubai airport, including a presence of Shin Bet, Israel’s counterintelligence agents. However, the Emiratis have rejected this request as they view it as a violation of their national sovereignty. This disagreement raises questions as to how the states will go about aviation security to ensure a sustainable relationship going forward. While flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv are suspended, the continuation of flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi via Etihad Airways—allowing for trade and tourism to continue—suggests that the incident is unlikely to significantly undermine the broader Israeli-Emirati relationship.
As for relations with Saudi Arabia, the incident illustrates that practical cooperation with the Saudis is possible for Israel, despite the two countries not having formal diplomatic relations. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has repeatedly stated that normalization with Israel will not progress until there is a legitimate pathway towards the creation of a Palestinian state. Despite this, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement in July of 2026, which President Donald Trump later stated was conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords. This agreement, a Section 123 Agreement, which would last 30 years, would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium for a civilian nuclear program. However, this pressure may lead the Saudis towards nuclear cooperation with other potential partners, including China, South Korea, France and Russia.
Despite the lengths the Saudis went to help prevent a catastrophe, their reluctance to share details concerning the incident and initial investigation again highlights the limits of this cooperation. Although shared security threats, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, have incentivized intelligence assistance from Israel, Riyadh’s position on Palestinian statehood continues to shape the conditions under which it could consider formal normalization.
Ultimately, the incident illustrates that pragmatic security cooperation can occur without formal diplomatic recognition, but translating shared security interests into a sustained strategic partnership may require progress on the Palestinian issue. Separately, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will need to find a compromise on how to address security concerns without Israeli personnel on Emirati soil to ensure the long-term success of their diplomatic relationship.
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