Omani Pilot Who Attempted to Crash Plane Trained in UK

The Omani pilot who attempted to hijack and crash a Flydubai plane en route to Israel received professional flight training in the United Kingdom between 2018 and 2019. Hamam Al Hammami trained at the L3 Airline Academy, a large flight school with centers in England, which is now part of Acron Aviation. The training likely took place at facilities in Southampton, Bournemouth, or near Gatwick Airport.

Concurrently with his UK training, Al Hammami also underwent flight instruction in New Zealand from November 2018 to May 2019, having obtained a six-month student visa. This training was for a UK-based company that no longer operates in New Zealand. The L3 Airline Academy had a program linking its UK centers with a flight school in Hamilton, New Zealand, allowing students to complete theoretical studies in Southampton, flight training in New Zealand, and advanced stages back in the UK.

Al Hammami reportedly posted on social media about his studies abroad, including in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand over five years. He studied engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne from 2015 to 2017 but left without completing his degree before pursuing professional pilot training. Archived social media posts, since deleted, revealed strict religious views, including statements about women and marriage. In one post from 2022, he described his years of study abroad as "the golden years of my religious commitment," noting he became less devout upon returning to Oman.

According to The Telegraph, Al Hammami also shared details about his time in the UK, including an anecdote about a fellow trainee meeting a Spanish woman. In another post, he stated that any woman who married him would have to convert to Islam and wear a hijab. N12 had previously reported that Al Hammami planned to seize control of the plane and crash it at Ben Gurion Airport, inspired by the 9/11 attacks. After being rejected by Oman Air, he worked for Flydubai.