i24NEWS ArabicSecurity23:14

UAE Honors Flydubai Crew for Foiling Hijacking Attempt

By i24NEWS

Translated & summarized from i24NEWS Arabic by baba

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Arabic · 6 newsrooms covering

The UAE has honored two Flydubai pilots, Captain Hanson Steven and First Officer Rowan Toth, for their bravery in landing flight FZ1073 safely after an attempted hijacking on September 30. President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded them the second-class Zayed Medal. The incident involved an axe attack by another crew member, during which the plane dropped thousands of feet before the pilots regained control and landed in Saudi Arabia.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

UAE President awarded Flydubai pilots the second-class Zayed Medal for foiling a hijacking.
Captain Hanson Steven and First Officer Rowan Toth took control of the plane after an attack.
An Omani first officer attacked the captain with an axe on the flight to Tel Aviv.
Israeli passengers subdued the attacker during the violent mid-air struggle.
The plane dropped 17,000 feet and sustained tail damage before a safe landing in Saudi Arabia.

UAE Honors Flydubai Crew for Foiling Hijacking Attempt — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Over a month after a violent incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, the identities of the two additional pilots who took control and landed the aircraft safely have been revealed. They are Captain Hanson Steven from Fiji and First Officer Rowan Toth from South Africa, who joined the airline in 2023. The pilots were honored at a ceremony in the UAE on Tuesday, where President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded them and their team the second-class Zayed Medal, one of the country's highest civilian honors, presented by Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President, praised the crew on X, stating that the award recognizes their "national courage, heroism, and calmness" in protecting passengers' lives. He emphasized that protecting human lives is the highest duty and greatest contribution.

The incident occurred when the Omani first officer, Hammam Al-Hammami, attacked the Indian captain, Smith Mashar, with an emergency axe. Despite severe head injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door. Israeli passengers and crew then subdued and restrained the attacker using headphone wires. During the struggle, the aircraft plummeted to approximately 17,000 feet and sustained significant tail damage. Captain Steven and First Officer Toth regained control and successfully landed the Boeing 737 in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with 182 passengers and crew aboard.