Hamam al-Hammami, the pilot accused of attempting to hijack a Flydubai passenger plane bound for Israel, trained to become a pilot in Britain, according to new reports.
The 29-year-old is understood to have been a student at one of the UK's biggest flight schools between 2018 and 2019, The Telegraph reported. He is thought to have trained with L3 Airline Academy, a pilot-training company with centres in England that has since become part of Acron Aviation.
Training Locations and Incident Details
Hammami is believed to have trained at at least one of the company's centres in England, which include major training facilities in Southampton and Bournemouth, as well as a simulator centre near Gatwick.
The alleged hijacker is being held in Abu Dhabi following the incident on Wednesday, described by authorities as an attempted jihadist terror attack. The co-pilot is accused of attacking the aircraft's pilot with an axe before crew members and passengers fought back.
According to Israeli reports, Hammami planned to seize the aircraft and crash it into a target in Tel Aviv, in a plot mirroring the September 11 attacks. There is no suggestion that L3 Airline Academy or its successor companies, including Acron Aviation, are involved in any wrongdoing, and they are assisting authorities.
Additional Training in New Zealand
It has also been confirmed that the pilot undertook some training in New Zealand. New Zealand police confirmed on Tuesday that Hammami had been granted a six-month student visa to undertake flight training there between November 2018 and May 2019 "for a UK-based company no longer operating in New Zealand". During this time, L3 Airline Academy provided a training programme at a flying school in Hamilton.
A deleted social media account believed to be connected to Hammami, named @PilotHamam, detailed his training and life in Britain. Posts on the Twitter account also discussed women being "stomped on" and given a "pre-emptive slap".
In 2022, the pilot posted that he had "studied in Australia, Britain and New Zealand for five years". The same post detailed his years studying overseas as "the golden years of my religious commitment", adding that he became less observant when he returned to Oman. Other posts recalled encounters with women in Britain in which he supported strict Islamic expectations about marriage and dress.
Career and Response
Following the incident, it has been reported that Oman Air removed Hammami from flight training because of concerns about his radical views, with him being transferred to another role.
Acron Aviation declined to comment on Hammami's attendance. A spokesman said: "We were saddened to hear of this incident, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. As a matter of policy, we do not publicly comment on whether any individual is or has been a student with us. We will, of course, assist the relevant authorities, if necessary, in any way we can as they investigate this incident."
