Israeli Passenger Recounts Foiling Hijacking Attempt on Flydubai Flight

An Israeli businessman, Tzvi M., recounted his harrowing experience aboard a Flydubai flight where he and other passengers subdued a co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash the plane. M., CEO of a Leumi underwriting company, described the incident as "super-traumatic" but confirmed all passengers arrived safely in Saudi Arabia before continuing to Israel.

M. detailed how the ordeal began when his wife heard struggles and screams from the cockpit while accompanying their daughter to the restroom. She alerted another pilot, who discovered the co-pilot had allegedly stabbed the captain. M. and two other passengers helped pull the captain out of the cockpit, while another pilot and a passenger who had been seated with the passengers entered to regain control.

"The plane was diving, people were flying around. It was like a horror movie," M. described, noting the struggle to restrain the co-pilot lasted between 20 to 30 minutes. He stated that the passengers used the plane's multimedia headsets to tie up the co-pilot, believing it was a terrorist attack. "It was clear to us that this was a terrorist attack," he said.

M. shared the profound fear felt during the dive, with his daughters screaming that they didn't want to die. Despite the trauma, he expressed relief that the situation was resolved and praised the bravery of the other passengers and a doctor who assisted in subduing the co-pilot.

The incident occurred about an hour before the flight was scheduled to land in Israel. Passengers received food and drinks in Saudi Arabia, and medical teams attended to those suffering from anxiety attacks and trauma, particularly the children.