An Israeli passenger who helped overpower a pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight has been hailed as a hero after returning safely to Israel.
Yaniv Hayoun became one of the central figures in the dramatic incident aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday after the aircraft carrying 174 people plunged thousands of feet during a struggle inside the cockpit. The plane was eventually diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely before the passengers continued their journey to Israel.
Hayoun later met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport, still wearing the blood-stained shirt he had worn during the terrifying ordeal.
Netanyahu embraced him and praised his actions.
“I see you and I see a lion — a big hero,” Netanyahu told Hayoun in a video released after their meeting.
‘I grabbed the attacker’
Recounting the incident to Netanyahu, Hayoun said he and another passenger managed to enter the cockpit after the injured captain opened the door.
According to Hayoun, he saw the alleged attacker near the aircraft’s controls and immediately moved to stop him.
“I grabbed the terrorist, put him in a hold, and first of all pulled him outside,” Hayoun told Netanyahu.
He then called on other passengers to help restrain the man.
The situation remained extremely dangerous, however, because the aircraft was still losing altitude.
Hayoun said he returned to the cockpit and took hold of the aircraft’s controls, pulling them back in an attempt to stabilize the plunging plane.
When Netanyahu asked how he knew what to do, Hayoun gave an unexpected answer.
“I watch Mayday,” he said, referring to the television documentary series Air Crash Investigation, which reconstructs aviation accidents and emergencies.
The Times of Israel
Hayoun said the aircraft began to level out before another pilot took over the controls.
Captain’s actions opened the way for passengers
The passenger intervention followed a violent confrontation between the two pilots.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot allegedly stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, during the flight and that the aircraft subsequently went into a steep descent.
Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar was able to resist the attacker and open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter.
That action proved critical because it enabled Hayoun and others to reach the cockpit and restrain the alleged attacker.
Netanyahu has also credited the injured captain with helping prevent a catastrophe, saying that Machchhar’s actions enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.
Netanyahu embraces Hayoun
The emotional meeting at Ben Gurion Airport came after the passengers completed their journey back to Israel.
Hayoun approached Netanyahu wearing the same clothes from the flight, with visible blood stains from the struggle.
He reportedly apologised to the Prime Minister because he had repeatedly asked for his luggage so that he could change before the meeting.
But Netanyahu told him that his appearance was not important.
“This is the honour, you are the honour. You are the hero,” Netanyahu told him.
The Prime Minister then asked Hayoun how he had managed to act during the emergency.
Hayoun described the moment he confronted the alleged attacker and subsequently tried to stabilize the aircraft.
Netanyahu responded by telling him: “I see a lion. I see a great hero.”
A passenger suddenly becomes the centre of a dramatic rescue
Hayoun’s actions unfolded in a matter of minutes during what passengers described as a terrifying descent.
The Boeing 737 reportedly dropped from approximately 33,000 feet to about 17,000 feet in roughly a minute. Passengers screamed as the aircraft descended rapidly, while children were reportedly crying.
As the crisis unfolded, Hayoun and other passengers fought to restrain the alleged attacker while other people with aviation experience assisted with the aircraft.
Eventually, the plane was stabilized and diverted to Tabuk.
The successful landing brought an end to a crisis that could have resulted in the deaths of everyone aboard.
Investigation into the attack continues
Authorities are still investigating the incident, including the motive of the alleged attacker.
Israeli officials have described the episode as an attempted hijacking and possible terrorist attack, while Flydubai has said a formal investigation is underway. The available reports do not yet establish the attacker’s motive conclusively.
For Hayoun, however, the immediate aftermath was about survival and gratitude.
He was one of the passengers who, confronted with an extraordinary emergency thousands of feet in the air, chose to act.
And when he finally returned home, he was met not only by relieved families and fellow passengers, but by Israel’s Prime Minister, who embraced him and publicly hailed him as a hero.
What began as a terrifying flight toward Israel ended with all 174 people surviving — and with Yaniv Hayoun emerging as one of the passengers whose intervention helped prevent an even greater disaster.
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