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(https://rumcdn.geoedge.be/f7ae3efe-f9e8-44be-8cf9-3b564afd5f4b/grumi-ip.js)  (https://widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js)  (https://btloader.com/tag?o=5119785225420800&upapi=true)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-T4BJGTM)   (../manifest.json)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-16.png)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-32.png)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-192.png)  (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-180.png)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js)  Attempted flydubai hijacker reportedly hired by airline during mass hiring spree | The Jerusalem Post      (article-910880.html)                     (Jerusalem Post) (https://www.jpost.com/) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News)    (CONFERENCES) (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) CONFERENCES  (ISRAEL NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news) ISRAEL NEWS  (WORLD NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/international) WORLD NEWS  (MIDDLE EAST) (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) MIDDLE EAST  (BUSINESS & INNOVATION) (https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation) BUSINESS & INNOVATION  (DEFENSE & TECH) (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (OPINION) (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  (JP STORE) (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE   (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login    (Search) ()           (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login (https://payments.jpost.com/paywall/paywallpersonaldetails) Subscribe    (https://www.jpost.com/magazineprint/digitallibrary) JPOST DIGITAL LIBRARY  (https://www.jpost.com/) HOME PAGE  (https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report) THE JERUSALEM REPORT  (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/education) JPOST HIGHER EDUCATION  (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  BUSINESS & INNOVATION      (https://realestate.jpost.com/) REAL ESTATE LISTINGS  (https://www.jpost.com/aliyah) ALIYAH  (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) JERUSALEM POST CONFERENCE  PREMIUM      (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE  Categories  ISRAEL NEWS      WORLD NEWS      MIDDLE EAST      (https://www.jpost.com/american-politics) US POLITICS  DIASPORA      (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  PODCAST      JUDAISM      (https://www.jpost.com/kabbalah) KABBALAH  CHRISTIAN WORLD      HEALTH & WELLNESS      (https://www.jpost.com/science) SCIENCE  (https://www.jpost.com/law) LAW  ARCHAEOLOGY      (https://www.jpost.com/omg) OMG  (https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change) ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE  (https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes) FOOD & RECIPES  (https://www.jpost.com/history) HISTORY   (https://www.jpost.com/special-content) SPONSORED CONTENT  (https://www.jpost.com/advertise) ADVERTISE WITH US  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/termsofservice.aspx) TERMS OF USE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/privacypolicy.aspx) PRIVACY POLICY  (https://www.jpost.com/contactus) CONTACT US  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service/cancel-subscription) CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service) CUSTOMER SERVICE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/aboutus.aspx) ABOUT US       (https://www.jpost.com/) Jerusalem Post /  (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) Middle East   Hamam al-Hammami hired by flydubai as part of airline's mass hiring push - report Omani first officer Hamam al-Hammami had allegedly been banned from flying by Omani authorities over concerns regarding his radical ideological views before he was hired by flydubai.  (Share)         (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google     ((Illustrative) People sit in the cockpit of a FlyDubai 737 Max on display at Al-Maktoum International Airport during the Dubai Airshow 2025 in Dubai on November 20, 2025.) ((Illustrative) People sit in the cockpit of a FlyDubai 737 Max on display at Al-Maktoum International Airport during the Dubai Airshow 2025 in Dubai on November 20, 2025.)   (Illustrative) People sit in the cockpit of a FlyDubai 737 Max on display at Al-Maktoum International Airport during the Dubai Airshow 2025 in Dubai on November 20, 2025.  (photo credit: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images )    By (https://www.jpost.com/author/goldie-katz) GOLDIE KATZ    OCTOBER 7, 2026 11:37   Omani national (https://www.jpost.com/international/islamic-terrorism/article-910544) Hamam al-Hammami , the pilot who attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flydubai flight, was hired by the airline during a push by the United Arab Emirates-based carrier to expand its pilot staff, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Tuesday.  The report came after it was alleged that Hammami had previously been banned from flying by Omani authorities over concerns regarding his radical ideological views and that flydubai may have hired him in February without conducting (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-910483) thorough background checks .   According to the WSJ , the airline’s recruitment spree began after the COVID-19 pandemic, as the carrier worked to expand its model of providing low-cost, high-volume flights amid an industry-wide shortage of pilots.  Flydubai launched recruitment initiatives, lowered requirements for some pilot programs  Flydubai’s total number of employees reportedly swelled from 3,682 at the end of 2012 to 6,763 by the end of 2025. Around 1,500 pilots were employed at flydubai at the time of the (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-910466) attempted hijacking .  Over the past three years, flydubai launched several initiatives to increase hiring, including recruitment events in Italy, Ireland, and Poland. Last year, the airline launched a new training program for pilots aged 18 to 30, opened a 38,000-square-foot flight training center in Dubai, and began a cadet program to train foreign pilots, according to the WSJ .   (Travelers board a FlyDubai aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport after a separate FlyDubai flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026.)  Travelers board a FlyDubai aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport after a separate FlyDubai flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)    It also lowered the required flight hours for individuals applying for a junior, second-officer pilot program, while increasing salaries offered to new captains and first officers.  According to the report, flydubai categorizes airports by difficulty, allowing pilots without major experience to fly routes to easier destinations. Pilots told the WSJ that Ben-Gurion Airport was considered to be among the network’s most desirable trips, despite (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-910825) security sensitivities .  While the WSJ could not establish how Hammami was assigned the flight to Tel Aviv, it noted that authorities and aviation industry insiders are questioning whether flydubai’s hiring process may have contributed to the circumstances that allowed the first officer access to the sensitive route.     The Midnight Dispatch The one email that makes sense of the Middle East. Iran, the Gulf, Syria, Turkey, and whatever moved that day, from The Jerusalem Post, every evening.  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