Having endured a terrifying day-long ordeal after surviving a terrorist bid to crash their plane, the Israeli passengers burst into spontaneous song and dance as their rescue flight touched down on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening.
“Nearly half a day after taking off from Dubai for Tel Aviv, all 174 passengers aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, including 27 children, landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening after surviving what Israeli officials have described as a suspected attempted terrorist attack,” Ynetnews reported.
This is how the Israelis reacted on the plane after successfully landing. They are singing “Am Yisrael Chai” and “Od Avinu Chai.” The Israeli spirit shines through once again in times of adversity! pic.twitter.com/ZMDbEv1Z0x
— Bruce (@realPatriotBAC) September 30, 2026
A mid-air catastrophe was averted Wednesday morning when a captain and Israeli passengers overpowered a rogue co-pilot trying to bring down a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at Ben-Gurion International Airport with Yaniv, the passenger who burst into the cockpit on the flight from Dubai to Israel.
Photos: Kobi Gideon (GPO) pic.twitter.com/PcCNzKLUKj
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 30, 2026
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials were at the airport to give them a hero’s welcome. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Miri Regev arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport to welcome the passengers,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Prime Minister Netanyahu embraced Yaniv Hayun, one of the day’s heroes who tackled the attacker and removed him from the cockpit. Hayun, still wearing his blood-stained T-shirt, hesitated to approach the prime minister. Sensing hesitation, Netanyahu placed his hands on Hayun’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug. “Netanyahu embraced one of the passengers involved in the altercation onboard flight FZ1073, with footage of the meeting showing the passenger still wearing his bloodstained T-shirt,” the newspaper added.
Yaniv, who neutralized the terrorist pilot, told Netanyahu:
“I pulled the yoke up and stopped the plane’s dive. It’s lucky I had some aviation experience from @MaydayAirCrash series pic.twitter.com/pnInfbxol2— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 30, 2026
It was Hayun whose quick thinking and aviation skills stabilized the plane after it was sent into a nosedive by the attacker, Ynetnews continued:
“I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold and pulled him out. I called the Israelis who were with us, jumped back in and pulled the controls. I started pulling them back.”
“I have an aviation background,” Hayun told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he met at the airport. “The plane began to level out, and then the pilot told me he was taking control.”
Celebrations were reported throughout Israel.
Thousands at the United Hatzalah Concert in the heart of Jerusalem near the Old City celebrate the return of Israeli passengers onboard FlyDubai. pic.twitter.com/F740H508pu
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) September 30, 2026
Celebrations for the Israelis who returned pic.twitter.com/STCAkN8B4l
— Documenting Israel (@DocumentIsrael) September 30, 2026
Netanyahu lauds Indian co-pilot’s ‘extraordinary bravery’
Netanyahu also praised the Indian-born pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed while fighting off his co-pilot. Despite sustaining serious wounds, Machchhar opened the cockpit door, enabling Israeli passengers to rush in and overpower his co-pilot.
“My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.”
My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery.
Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air…
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 30, 2026
One passenger reportedly sustained minor injuries and received medical care at the airport. The Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, “Magen David Adom teams and medical staff at Ben Gurion Airport met the passengers arriving from Saudi Arabia with mobile intensive care units and ambulances on standby,” Ynetnews continued. “MDA paramedics examined the passengers after landing. A 51-year-old man was evacuated to hospital in mild condition with an upper-body injury.”
Israeli courage in action. 🇮🇱
Thanks to the extraordinary courage of Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew, the flight landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport .
🎥 @itsmezina__ pic.twitter.com/g83NmAk6Jw
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) September 30, 2026
Attacker described as Muslim “extremist” who “prayed excessively”
While the U.S. and Western media remain puzzled over the motives behind the attack, the attacker appears to be a Muslim fundamentalist. According to Hebrew-language media, the rogue pilot was an Islamic “extremist” who “prayed excessively.”
The Times of Israel writes:
The Omani pilot who allegedly tried to crash a flydubai plane full of Israeli passengers earlier today is described by a fellow pilot as a religious extremist.
The pilot tells Israel’s Channel 16 news that the Omani national joined flydubai just eight months ago.
“He prayed excessively throughout the day and refused to shake hands with women,” the pilot tells the network.
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