Updated October 3, 2026. This is a developing story, and details may change as investigators release more information.
Israeli authorities are facing questions about how foreign airline crews are cleared to fly into the country. Israeli media have reported that Omani pilots operated flights to Tel Aviv despite a restriction on pilots from countries that have no diplomatic relations with Israel. The reports followed an incident on flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30, 2026, when an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain during a Dubai–Tel Aviv flight.
Two separate threads need to be kept apart. The UAE's attorney general said on Saturday that preliminary findings show the co-pilot attempted a "terrorist act" and used the cockpit's emergency axe against the captain. The claim about earlier Omani pilots on the same route is different. It comes from a Channel 12 report, and neither Israeli nor UAE authorities have publicly confirmed how many such pilots there were.
Below is what the reporting supports, what is only alleged, and what nobody has yet explained.
What happened on the flydubai flight?
Flight FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Reports put the number of people on board at around 180 (Times of Israel) or "more than 170" (Ynet), nearly all of them Israeli passengers.
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said its initial investigation confirmed that the co-pilot assaulted the captain while the aircraft was over Saudi territory, forcing an emergency landing at Tabuk. The UAE attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on October 3, through the state news agency WAM, that the co-pilot attacked the captain with the emergency axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. According to AFP, the UAE did not disclose a motive.
The Times of Israel reported that the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door. Three Israeli passengers then entered and subdued the co-pilot, and off-duty pilots on board helped land the plane. Passengers were later flown on to Israel. Saudi authorities transferred the co-pilot to the UAE, where the investigation is now being led.
| Topic | What is reported or known |
|---|---|
| Flight | flydubai FZ1073, Dubai to Tel Aviv |
| Date | September 30, 2026 |
| Diverted to | Tabuk, Saudi Arabia (Saudi Interior Ministry) |
| Co-pilot | Omani national; named by CNN's sources and Saudi state media as Hamam al-Hammami (alleged) |
| UAE preliminary finding | Attempted "terrorist act", per the attorney general; motive not disclosed |
| Investigation | UAE-led; Israeli investigators to take part, according to an Israeli official |
| Main open question | How an Omani citizen was on an Israel-bound crew |
Why are Omani pilots at the centre of the investigation?
Oman does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. An Israeli official told CNN that, for that reason, the co-pilot should not have been allowed to fly the Israel-bound aircraft. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel has restrictions on pilots from such countries and that the co-pilot "managed to bypass" them, according to a report syndicated on Yahoo News.
Where the rule is written down is less clear. Channel 12 linked the restriction to the 2020 Abraham Accords arrangements. A second Israeli security official told CNN that the Shin Bet is supposed to vet all airline personnel flying in from the UAE under a side security understanding attached to the aviation agreements. The Jerusalem Post, as cited by The Print, reported that flydubai has its own clause requiring pilots on Israel routes to come from countries with normalised ties. The Print also noted that a clause in the published aviation agreement allows airlines to bring staff "of any nationality". The text of the security understanding itself has not been published in the coverage reviewed.
Ynet reported that Israeli officials first checked whether the co-pilot held a second nationality that might explain the assignment. CNN's sources said he was born in the UAE to an Omani father and a Syrian mother. No second passport has been confirmed publicly.
How did Omani pilots reportedly fly to Tel Aviv despite the Israel restriction?
According to Channel 12, as relayed by the Times of Israel, Israel had effectively left enforcement to the airlines. The Shin Bet reportedly never examined the nationalities or backgrounds of flydubai's pilots. It asked the airline not to use crew from countries without ties to Israel, and that was the extent of it.
Israel's Transportation Ministry told the channel that the Shin Bet never issued a specific warning about flydubai, apart from a request for tighter baggage checks. An unnamed airline industry official quoted by Channel 12 claimed the Shin Bet could easily have identified the airline's pilots and chose not to look. That is one anonymous source's view, not an official finding.
The picture is not uniform. The Israeli official who spoke to CNN said it is not yet known whether the Shin Bet failed to vet the co-pilot or vetted him and cleared him to fly. The Daily Perspective did not find a public Shin Bet response to Channel 12's account in the coverage reviewed.
What is known about the reported Omani pilots?
The number is where the reports differ most.
| Source | How the figure is described |
|---|---|
| Times of India (headline) | "Over 12" Omani pilots |
| Times of Israel, citing Channel 12 | "Dozens" of Omani pilots in recent years |
| Report syndicated on Yahoo News | "Dozens" of Omani pilots employed by flydubai |
| Israeli and UAE authorities | No figure published in the reports reviewed |
"Over 12" and "dozens" are not the same claim, and the underlying figure appears to trace back to a single Channel 12 report. No names, dates or flight counts have been made public. Whether those pilots flew as flydubai employees or for other foreign airlines is also reported inconsistently. Until an official number emerges, the safest reading is "multiple Omani pilots, according to Channel 12."
What has been reported about the co-pilot's background
The Wall Street Journal, as summarised by Ynet, reported that Oman had earlier barred the co-pilot from flying over concerns about his ideological views. The Associated Press, via Euronews, cited officials saying he was moved to an administrative job at Oman Air. ABC News, citing senior officials, reported that he was found with extremist materials in 2024 while training as a co-pilot at Oman Air, and gave his age as 29. CNN said it had asked Oman Air for comment. These accounts rest on anonymous sources and have not been confirmed on the record.
Reports also differ on how long he had worked for flydubai: eight months according to an Israeli official quoted by CNN, nine months according to Israel Hayom. flydubai told CNN it could not comment while the investigation continues.
What are Israeli authorities investigating?
An Israeli official told CNN that several agencies are looking into how the co-pilot ended up on the crew: the Shin Bet, Mossad, the military and the Transportation Ministry. Channel 12 reported that the ministry's Center for Aviation Security Operations, created to monitor the entry of flight crews, will also be examined. The broadcaster pointed to a 2024 State Comptroller recommendation that the government review air-travel security protocols.
Transport Minister Miri Regev has asked the Civil Aviation Authority to look into whether the UAE breached its aviation agreement with Israel, according to The Print. Separately, Israeli intelligence services are trying to establish whether the co-pilot acted alone. Netanyahu said Israel is "clarifying" whether he was sent by anyone. No link to any group or state has been publicly confirmed.
What have Israel, the UAE and flydubai said?
Israel. Netanyahu said the co-pilot "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination", a view Channel 12 said came from two Israeli sources following the Saudi questioning. He also said Israel needs to ensure pilots are screened in advance. The Transportation Ministry's statement on the Shin Bet is described above.
UAE. Beyond the attorney general's statement, UAE adviser Anwar Gargash called the incident an act of terrorism, praised the captain and warned against "simplistic interpretations" and conspiracy theories. The UAE Foreign Ministry said, as quoted by Axios, that the inquiry covers the circumstances and motives, including any terrorism link and whether there was prior planning. A source close to the Emirati government told Channel 12 that Abu Dhabi believes Israel is using the incident for political purposes. That claim is anonymous and unverified.
Saudi Arabia. The Interior Ministry said Saudi and Emirati security teams carried out the preliminary investigation together.
flydubai. Beyond declining comment, flydubai has not publicly addressed the screening questions in the reports reviewed. Its flights to Israel have been reported as temporarily suspended.
Oman. No official Omani statement on the incident turned up in the coverage reviewed.
What remains unclear?
- How many Omani pilots flew to Israel, on which dates, and for which airlines.
- Whether the Shin Bet or any other body checked flydubai crew lists, and what the check involved.
- How flydubai assigned the co-pilot to an Israel route, and whether he held another nationality.
- What Oman Air recorded about him, and whether that information reached flydubai or the UAE authorities.
- His motive, and whether anyone else was involved.
- What role Israeli investigators will have in the UAE-led inquiry.
- When, and under what conditions, flydubai might resume flights to Israel.
What could change for flights to Israel?
No new screening rules had been announced in the reports reviewed. The measures discussed so far are limited. Netanyahu has called for advance screening of pilots. The Transportation Ministry's oversight unit is under review. The Civil Aviation Authority has been asked to examine compliance with the aviation agreement. flydubai's Israel flights are reportedly paused while the inquiry continues.
A source close to the Emirati government told Channel 12 that Etihad is still flying to Israel under a strict protocol and that similar rules should apply to flydubai. Whether that becomes policy is unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Omani pilots not supposed to fly to Israel?
Oman has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. According to Channel 12 and Israeli officials quoted by CNN, Israeli rules bar pilots from such countries from flying into Israel. The exact legal text has not been published in the coverage reviewed.
Did Omani pilots actually fly to Tel Aviv, Israel?
That is what Channel 12 reported, and other outlets repeated it. Israeli and UAE authorities have not publicly confirmed it, and Israel says it is investigating.
How many Omani pilots reportedly flew to Israel?
Reports say "dozens" (Times of Israel, citing Channel 12) or "over 12" (Times of India headline). No official figure exists.
What happened on the flydubai flight?
On September 30, 2026, flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after the Omani co-pilot assaulted the captain. The UAE attorney general said he used the emergency axe and tried to take control of the aircraft.
Who is investigating the incident?
The UAE leads the investigation, after a preliminary joint inquiry by Saudi and Emirati teams. An Israeli official said Israeli investigators will take part. Separately, Israeli agencies are examining how the co-pilot came to be on the crew.
Has Israel changed its pilot screening procedures?
No formal change had been announced in the reports reviewed. Netanyahu has said pilots must be screened in advance, and Israel's aviation-security oversight is under review.
Is Oman officially connected to the incident?
The reports reviewed do not allege that the Omani government was involved, and Oman has not commented in them. Reports say Oman Air had earlier removed the co-pilot from flying duties.