Flydubai hired co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami despite a permanent aviation ban
A recent Flydubai flight has put the spotlight on how pilots are screened for security.
The co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen born in the UAE to a Syrian mother, had previously been permanently banned from working in the aviation sector after being flagged for accessing extremist websites.
Despite this, he was hired by Flydubai without any background check requests sent to Omani authorities.
Investigators probe crew vetting, Oman cooperates
This slip-up is raising eyebrows about how well airlines actually vet their crews, especially since the UAE-Israel aviation agreement restricts crews to UAE nationals or nationals of countries that have formalized and normalized relations with Israel.
Investigators are now looking into how these protocols missed such a big red flag, and Omani officials said they would have immediately shared his security red flags if asked and are doing so now in the active counterterrorism investigation.