Twelve days after 174 passengers survived an attempt by a flydubai pilot to hijack and crash their aircraft, the airline finally contacted them. Its message made no mention of the attempted hijacking, the pilot responsible or the extraordinary danger the passengers had faced. Instead, it described the ordeal as "distressing events," expressed relief that the passengers had reached Tel Aviv safely aboard a replacement aircraft and offered contact details for anyone with "questions or concerns."
The email, sent Monday to passengers aboard flight FZ 1073, also contained no reference to financial compensation for the ordeal.
The flydubai aircraft after its emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, with its tail damaged during the attempted crash
For passengers who survived an incident that could have ended in a mass-casualty disaster, the airline's carefully worded message was hardly the acknowledgment some had been waiting for.
The flight had been hijacked by Omani pilot Hamam al-Hamami, who, according to prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates, subsequently admitted intending to crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. The passengers survived thanks to the actions of several people aboard and another pilot, who helped prevent the disaster.
Yet almost two weeks later, the airline's first direct communication with the passengers focused not on what happened aboard its aircraft, but on its efforts to bring them home.
‘We are relieved you arrived safely’
"We are writing to you directly because you were aboard our aircraft on flight FZ 1073," the airline said in the email.
"We understand that the events surrounding the flight were distressing for the passengers on board."
The message continued with assurances that passenger safety, well-being and peace of mind remained top priorities.
"While we are relieved that we were able to assist with your safe arrival in Tel Aviv aboard our replacement aircraft, we understand that you may have questions or concerns following the events surrounding the flight," flydubai wrote.
"We wish to reassure you that flydubai is fully committed to supporting you."
The wording made no explicit reference to the attempted crash, the actions of the airline's pilot or the circumstances that had forced the original aircraft to land in Saudi Arabia.
Instead, the email emphasized the replacement flight arranged by flydubai, presenting the passengers' eventual safe arrival as the central point of its communication.
The airline did offer two channels for assistance.
Passengers were invited to contact a dedicated support address, [email protected], which the company said had been established exclusively for them.
Flydubai also offered access to independent professional support for passengers experiencing difficulties obtaining appropriate assistance through their regular health care providers.
"If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact our dedicated support team using the details provided above, and a member of our team will be happy to assist," the message concluded.
There was no mention of whether the airline intended to compensate passengers financially.
‘An incident that only by a miracle did not kill us’
One passenger who received the email sharply criticized the airline's handling of the aftermath, describing both the lengthy silence and the contents of the message as unacceptable.
"Flydubai chose to remain silent for far too long after an incident that only by a miracle did not result in our deaths, and that was caused by appalling negligence on the company's part," the passenger told ynet.
The passenger also rejected reports suggesting that financial compensation had been arranged for those aboard.
"The stories about financial compensation are an urban legend that never materialized," he said.
"No financial compensation was offered, and it's astonishing how a false report managed to spread so widely."
He questioned why the airline had waited nearly two weeks to make contact and suggested that the carefully formulated message may have been prompted by legal considerations.
"It seems the email we received followed legal advice," he said. "The contents of the message are a disgrace to the company."
Pilot allegedly admitted planning to crash at Ben Gurion Airport
The understated wording of the airline's message stands in stark contrast to details that have emerged from the investigation into the attempted attack.
According to the prosecution in the United Arab Emirates, al-Hamami admitted during questioning that he intended to crash the passenger aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport.
Prosecutors also said he had previously flown to Israel twice and had undergone radicalization while living in Australia, where he attended a mosque in Melbourne.
According to the prosecution's account, al-Hamami was inspired by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States when he decided to pursue a career in aviation.
Britain's Daily Telegraph previously reported that he had received his professional pilot training at L3 Airline Academy, one of the United Kingdom's major aviation training institutions.
The incident also triggered Israel's military procedures for responding to the hijacking of a civilian aircraft.
The emergency transponder code 7500, used to signal an aircraft hijacking, was activated during the flydubai flight.
The IDF's response protocol for such incidents, known as "World Trade," provides for fighter aircraft to intervene in a hijacking, potentially escorting an aircraft to a secure landing or, in extreme circumstances, shooting it down to prevent a larger catastrophe.
The name refers to the World Trade Center, the target of the September 11 attacks.
The flydubai aircraft ultimately landed in Saudi Arabia, where its tail was damaged, before the passengers were brought back to Israel on another plane.
Against that background, the first email passengers received from the airline offered a strikingly restrained account of their experience: an acknowledgment that the flight had been distressing, a reminder that flydubai had arranged their safe return and an invitation to get in touch if they had questions.
For at least one of those who survived, that response fell far short of addressing what had happened aboard the aircraft or what the airline intended to do about it.