Omani Pilot Who Attempted to Hijack Plane Trained in UK

The Omani pilot, Hamam Al Hammami, 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. The training took place at the L3 Airline Academy, a large flight school with centers in England, which is now part of Acron Aviation. The report by the British "Telegraph" indicates that Al Hammami likely trained at one or more of the company's facilities in Southampton, Bournemouth, or near Gatwick.

Concurrently with his UK training, Al Hammami also underwent flight training in New Zealand. He received a six-month student visa for this purpose between November 2018 and May 2019. New Zealand police confirmed this, stating the training was for a UK-based company that no longer operates there. This was part of a program linking the UK academy with a flight school in Hamilton, New Zealand, allowing students to complete theoretical studies in Southampton, practical flight training in New Zealand, and advanced stages back in the UK.

Al Hammami had previously posted on social media about his studies abroad, mentioning five years in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand. He studied engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne from 2015 to 2017 but left without completing his degree before pursuing professional pilot training. Archived posts from a now-deleted Twitter account under the name "Hamam Al Hammami" revealed strict religious views and comments about women. In a 2022 post, he described his years of study abroad as "the golden years of my religious commitment," suggesting he became less devout upon returning to Oman.

The "Telegraph" also reported that Al Hammami shared details about his time in the UK, including an anecdote about a colleague 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.