Story perspectives

Passengers Help Stop Co-Pilot Attack, Divert Plane Safely

By Drooid · Oct 1, 2026, 2:29 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Passengers Yaniv Hayun and others rushed into the cockpit and restrained the co-pilot attacker.
They helped regain control of the aircraft.
Two on-duty Flydubai pilots took over controls and diverted the aircraft to Tabuk Airport.
All 170-plus passengers were unharmed and later returned to Israel on a replacement Flydubai flight.
UAE attorney general Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered a probe and Israel’s defence minister called it an attempted jihadist attack.

History

Historical Context

In 1976, Israel launched Operation Entebbe, a daring raid that freed 102 hostages from a hijacked Air France flight in Uganda. President Idi Amin had allowed the plane to land at Entebbe Airport, where two Ugandan soldiers and three terrorists held the aircraft for 99 hours. Similarly, in the recent Flydubai incident, passengers including Yaniv Hayun subdued a co-pilot attacker, enabling two pilots to divert the plane to Tabuk. Both episodes underscore how swift civilian resistance and decisive military response shape aviation security policies worldwide, prompting stricter cockpit access rules.

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Story summary

Passengers Yaniv Hayun and others rushed into the cockpit and restrained the co-pilot attacker.
They helped regain control of the aircraft.
Two on-duty Flydubai pilots took over controls and diverted the aircraft to Tabuk Airport.
All 170-plus passengers were unharmed and later returned to Israel on a replacement Flydubai flight.
UAE attorney general Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered a probe and Israel’s defence minister called it an attempted jihadist attack.

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