LONDON, Oct 5: Nearly four hours after flight BA295 rapidly descended 28,000 feet while declaring a general emergency, British Airways on Monday said the aircraft had landed safely at London's Heathrow airport.

The transatlantic British Airways flight, operating from London's Heathrow to Chicago, had issued a squawk 7700 code, used for general emergency, around an hour into the flight. The aircraft had also rapidly descended from 37,000 feet to 9,000 feet, and then taken a U-turn to London again while flying over Irish airspace.

In a statement issued to some UK media outlets, including The Mirror and Daily Mail, British Airways said the aircraft had landed safely after its “highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue.”

It said that the passengers onboard had disembarked the aircraft “normally” and the airline was “working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible.” “The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority,” British Airways said.

The Boeing 777-200ER plane had a scheduled flight time of eight hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), it was reported. It took off from London's Heathrow Airport at around 11.50 am local time, according to flight tracking data.

After takeoff, it started its ascent and reached its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. However, about an hour into the journey, the flight began a rapid descent, and went from an altitude of 37,000 feet to 9,000 feet, registering a drop of 28,000 feet. The aircraft also issued a squawk 7700 code shortly after beginning its steep descent.

It was then diverted to London, according to data on Flightradar24, and took a U-turn. However, the aircraft kept circling the airspace between Wales and Ireland and then headed towards Heathrow. The circling could be an apparent attempt to dump fuel to reduce its fuel load.

Long-haul aircraft can carry a large amount of fuel for transatlantic journeys, and reducing the fuel load can help bring the aircraft closer to an appropriate landing weight during an early return. After circling multiple times, the flight began its gradual descent and landed in Heathrow after 4 hours and 47 minutes in the air.

Omani co-pilot joined flydubai for its Israel routes; planned to kill Indian captain in cockpit, crash flight into Ben Gurion airport

TEL AVIV, Oct 4: The flydubai co-pilot who is accused of attacking his captain mid-flight had allegedly planned to crash the aircraft into an Israeli airport, according to a latest report. Omani national Hamam al-Hammami told investigators that he had planned to fly the aircraft to Tel Aviv before crashing into a building or another plane at Ben Gurion Airport, according to Channel 13 and News24.

According to Israeli media reports, the suspect said he had also planned to kill Captain Smit Machchhar inside the locked cockpit and then take control of the plane. Channel 13 reported that the alleged plot had reportedly been in place before al-Hammami joined flydubai. Investigators were told he had selected the airline because it operated flights to Israel.

“I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted,” he said.

Al-Hammami also told investigators that he had used previous trips to Israel to gather information and make his plans. While he had originally planned to carry out the attack in July, he changed his plans after he became friendly with one of the crew members. He had allegedly planned that in case he was unable to reach Israel, he would crash the aircraft into a US military base in Jordan.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, al-Hammami also interfered with the aircraft's controls during the attack, switching off the engines and pushing the rudders forward. This caused the plane to plunge 16,000 feet in less than a minute and almost reach the speed of sound.

Australian counter-terrorism authorities are now reportedly examining the co-pilot’s background.

The suspect attacked Machchhar while the aircraft was over Jordan. Despite his injuries, Captain Machchhar reportedly managed to force open the cockpit door. Passengers entered the cockpit, restrained al-Hammami and helped regain control of the aircraft. Two off-duty pilots flew the plane to safety in Saudi Arabia.

Police have launched a joint investigation following reports that al-Hammami spent three years studying engineering in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017. Investigators are now trying to determine if he was radicalised while in Australia.

According to reports, al-Hammami had been barred from flying by Oman because of concerns over his extremist views. It is unclear how he was allowed to operate a flight carrying passengers to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now ordered a review of security arrangements for international flights into the country.

Flydubai co-pilot was banned by Oman over radical views, terrorist images found on social media: Reports

NEW YORK, Oct 2: The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar during a flight to Israel had previously been identified as a security risk while working with Oman Air, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials cited by ABC News and diplomatic sources cited by CNN.

Sources told the outlet that the suspect was found with extremist material while he was a trainee co-pilot in 2024. He was later allowed to work in an administrative role, the sources said.

Investigators are now examining how he was later able to join Flydubai and serve as first officer on a flight bound for Tel Aviv.

According to ABC News, the suspect was suspended by Oman Air after officials identified him as a security concern in 2024. Sources said extremist materials were found in his possession during that period.

The sources said he was not removed completely from the airline and instead continued working in an administrative position. Officials are now looking into what happened between that earlier security concern and his later employment with Flydubai.

He was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and is cooperating with investigators, according to sources cited by ABC News.

The pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, two sources familiar with the matter and an Israeli official told CNN.

A LinkedIn profile under the name Hamam al-Hammami, which was deleted after the incident, indicated he had worked at Oman Air for 7 years. One of the sources confirmed to CNN that the profile belonged to the Flydubai pilot involved in Wednesday's incident.

The profile had only two posts, both published within a short span on Wednesday, around nine hours after the incident. It remains unclear who uploaded the posts or whether they had been scheduled in advance.

The first post contained a series of videos filmed inside the cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Notably, the Flydubai aircraft that diverted to Saudi Arabia during Wednesday's incident was also a Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

The video reportedly ends with photographs of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over al Qaeda after Osama Bin Laden's death, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who killed nine people, including seven American CIA officers and contractors, in a 2009 suicide bombing. Al-Balawi was loyal to al Qaeda.

The second post showed an AI-generated image of Islam's three holiest sites: Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. A defiant poem playing in the background spoke of refusing humiliation, having no fear of death and standing up for one's dignity, as per the CNN report.

The incident happened Wednesday on Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit, leaving the Indian captain seriously injured.

The aircraft then went into a steep descent. Machchhar later told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew the aircraft was going down and managed to open the cockpit door while injured. “I knew that the aircraft was going down ... I had fallen to the ground. I told myself that the door is right there, just open it. I managed to do it and people entered,” he said.

Passengers then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the suspect. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The flight was carrying 182 people, according to The Associated Press.

The UAE has opened an investigation into the incident. Prosecutors are examining the circumstances and motive, including whether the attack involved terrorist activity or prior planning, according to the UAE state news agency WAM and ABC News.

The suspect has reportedly indicated to investigators that he intended to crash the aircraft in Israel, according to sources briefed on the investigation. That claim has not been independently established, and investigators are still working to determine what led to the attack.

Netanyahu Says Omani Co-Pilot Was Suicidal, Radicalised

TEL AVIV, Oct 1: A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv dropped thousands of feet in a matter of minutes on Wednesday. Inside the cabin, the captain was bleeding heavily, and passengers and crew were left to deal with a crisis no one had prepared for. A day later, investigators are still trying to understand what drove the co-pilot to attack the man he was flying with.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radicalisation. "We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," he said. He added that this came from the man's "personal information", but gave no further details. "That appears to be something we're gathering from his personal information," he said.

Netanyahu said the co-pilot had called out to the aircrew after being pinned down. He said the man shouted, "Kill me, kill me." "It's clear he was suicidal, that's not a question," Netanyahu said, adding that it "looks very likely" the man had meant to bring the plane down.

"If you couple that with what I just told you about the Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that are found in his background, I think that'll give us a pretty good clue," he said. "But again, I don't make conclusions yet. But that's the indications we have now."