Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met passengers at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday night after a FlyDubai flight carrying more than 170 Israelis was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an attempt by its co-pilot to crash the aircraft.
Flight data showed the aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal was transmitted Wednesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
Netanyahu called the events aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel “a highly severe security incident.” He said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot and ordered increased security for Israeli and foreign airlines flying into Israel.
“All passengers are out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office.
At Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu spoke with Yaniv Hayun one of the passengers who intervened after the co-pilot stabbed the other pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft.
Yaniv Hayun, a hero of FlyDubai 1073, recounts the heroism of the captain and the passengers as they subdued the terrorist.
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“All passengers are out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office.
Hayun apologized because his clothes remained covered in blood.
“It’s an honor to meet you this way. How did you do it?” Netanyahu replied.
“We are a nation of lions,” Hayun said.
Netanyahu embraced him, saying: “I see you and I see a lion. You are a great hero.”
“What you did is just unbelievable. You saved not only the passengers of the plane, but many others,” the Prime Minister added.
Hayun said someone screamed before the lights went out. He and another passenger forced their way into the cockpit, where they encountered the stabbed pilot and the attacker.
“I grabbed the terrorist, choked him, and pulled him away from there,” Hayun said. He said the attacker was damaging the controls as the aircraft’s nose pointed downward. Two other passengers helped restrain him while Yaniv pulled back on the controls.
“I stopped the plane from diving.”
Hayun said he learned how to control an aircraft from watching the documentary series “Mayday.”
Netanyahu separately quoted a passenger who said passengers and a crew member entered the cockpit after the aircraft “entered a tailspin and began to dive.”
“They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster,” Netanyahu said.
Two off-duty flydubai replacement pilots who were aboard as passengers subsequently took control and landed safely in Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.
