“I grabbed the controls”: FlyDubai survivor recounts dramatic cockpit attack as he meets Netanyahu

Updated: 01/10/2026 - 6:20 GMT+2

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met passenger Yaniv Hayun at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday after the Flydubai flight he was travelling on was diverted to Saudi Arabia following a cockpit attack.

Hayun was among the passengers who entered the cockpit and helped restrain the co-pilot after the captain was stabbed.

Netanyahu hugged Hayun and praised him as a hero. The flight later arrived safely in Israel after the passengers were flown back from Saudi Arabia.