Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv Flight FZ1073 Hero Passenger Meets Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel PM Shares Video
Hero passenger Ynav Sharir, still wearing a blood-stained shirt, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport after helping storm the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073. Sharir recounted pulling the attacker off the flight controls during a mid-air plunge, prompting Netanyahu to praise him publicly as a 'true hero.'
One of the hero passengers who helped subdue the hijacking suspect on Wednesday’s flydubai flight met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while still covered in blood. Ynav Sharir (Yaniv Hayun) met with Netanyahu after the rescue flight landed at Ben Gurion Airport, with the passenger still wearing the T-shirt stained in blood after he helped storm the cockpit to stop the co-pilot’s alleged terror plot.
The dramatic encounter followed an emergency mid-air crisis aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was forced to divert to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot reportedly stabbed the flight commander, Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar. As the plane plunged sharply into a steep dive, passengers and cabin crew rushed the flight deck to overpower the attacker and assist in regaining control of the Boeing 737 aircraft. Who Is Yaniv? Flydubai Flight FZ1073 Passenger Helped Subdue Attacker As Civilian Pilots Landed Plane.
Hero Passenger Ynav Sharir Meets Benjamin Netanyahu
Recounting the chaotic moments inside the flight deck to the Prime Minister upon touchdown in Tel Aviv, Sharir detailed how he intervened as the suspect attempted to manipulate the steering systems. “When I went in, I saw the terrorist on the control,” Sharir told Netanyahu. “I grabbed the terrorist, put him in a hold, and pulled him outside.”
Sharir’s swift physical intervention, combined with the efforts of crew members and fellow passengers, allowed the wounded captain to regain command, stabilize the aircraft, and avert a catastrophic crash before conducting an emergency landing in Saudi territory. Who Is Smit Machchhar? Indian Pilot Fights Off Cockpit Attack, Saves Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv Flight FZ1073 From Crashing.
Following their meeting at the airport, the Prime Minister commended the passenger's decisive courage under life-threatening conditions.
Sharing the video on X, Benjamin Netanyahu wrote, "Yoniv, you're a true hero. We're a nation of lions!" Israeli security agencies and aviation officials have since initiated full debriefings with arriving passengers, while Saudi authorities continue their interrogation of the detained co-pilot in Tabuk to determine the full operational motive and intelligence background behind the airborne attack.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2026 11:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).