Omani Pilot Suspected in Hijacking Attempt Trained in UK

The Omani pilot suspected of attempting to hijack a Flydubai plane and crash it in Tel Aviv received his flight training in the United Kingdom. According to The Telegraph, the pilot, Hammam Al-Hammami, was previously removed from flight training due to concerns over his extremist views. He trained at L3 Airline Academy, a flight school with centers in England, which is now part of Acron Aviation. His training likely took place at facilities in Southampton and Bournemouth, as well as a simulator center near Gatwick Airport. Al-Hammami also spent six months in Hamilton, New Zealand, on a student visa for flight training. Between 2020 and 2023, he remotely completed a degree in aviation management from Buckinghamshire New University. Social media posts from a now-deleted Twitter account under his name revealed extremist views, including encouraging violence against women and advocating for severe religious punishments. In 2022, he stated he had studied in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand for five years, calling these his "golden years of my religious commitment." He also documented his time in London, encounters with "European feminists," and strict requirements for potential wives, including conversion to Islam and wearing a hijab. Oman Air, where he worked until February 2025, removed him from flight training due to his extremist ideology and reassigned him to a different role. Acron Aviation declined to confirm or deny his studies with them but stated they were "saddened to hear about the incident" and would cooperate with any investigation.