Passengers on flydubai flight claim crew asked them to release co-pilot after mid-air attack

Hamam al-Hammami, the accused co-pilot in the flydubai incident

The crew of the flydubai flight allegedly asked passengers to release the co-pilot after they had subdued him following an attack on the pilot mid-air, according to two passengers who spoke to the New York Post. Tzvika Manes, one of three Israeli passengers who helped overpower the co-pilot, told the New York Post that crew members were “asking us to untie the terrorist”. Another passenger, Daniel Schlichter, said the crew were “saying to free the terrorist”, which immediately made the passengers suspicious.

The incident occurred on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv after Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Indian pilot Capt Smit Machchhar with a crash axe. Machchhar, despite being seriously injured, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to intervene. Manes, along with Yaniv Hayoun and Asaf Rajuan, confronted al-Hammami and overpowered him. The passengers restrained him face-down, initially using zip ties and later headphone wires gathered from other passengers, according to the Post.

The situation then escalated when some crew members allegedly demanded that the restrained co-pilot be released. “They said, ‘You are not God, you are not going to kill him,’” Manes recalled, according to the Post. Manes said the passengers rejected the demand because their intention was not to kill the attacker but to prevent him from harming anyone else. “We didn't want to kill him, we just wanted him not to kill us,” he said. Schlichter and Manes said the passengers even provided the wounded co-pilot with an oxygen mask. “We wanted him to live so he could be investigated,” Schlichter told the Post.

The passengers subsequently took control of the area around the cockpit, ordering the crew members to move away. Manes said they were suspicious of the stewards and told them, “Now the policy is we're in charge and you do what we say.” Schlichter said passengers shouted at the crew and instructed them to sit in the fifth or sixth row, away from the cockpit. A passenger was also positioned near the cockpit to prevent anyone from entering, while reserve pilots on board took control of the aircraft. The plane was eventually brought under control and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The passengers later described the experience as traumatic, with some suffering panic attacks and breaking down in tears after landing. Flydubai declined to comment specifically on the crew's alleged actions, telling the Post that it could not comment while the matter remained under investigation. The airline said it was supporting the investigation and coordinating with government authorities and regulators. The Post reported that the crew members have not been accused of conspiring with al-Hammami. The investigation into the attempted attack remains ongoing.