Israeli PM Netanyahu Meets ‘Hero’ Passenger Covered in Blood After Mid-Air Cockpit Attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with Yaniv Hion, one of the passengers who intervened to stop a violent mid-air cockpit incident on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Footage released of the meeting shows Netanyahu greeting Hion at Ben Gurion Airport, where the passenger’s t-shirt was still visibly covered in blood following his arrival.

“I see a lion, I see a great hero,” Netanyahu told Hion during their encounter.
The disruption occurred aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was carrying around 150 passengers—the majority of whom were Israeli citizens. The scheduled flight to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency diversion, landing safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU) in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s aviation operator, Cluster2, confirmed that both the captain and the co-pilot were hospitalized with injuries following the incident.
In an official statement, Flydubai confirmed that an “altercation” had taken place on the flight deck.

“The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport,” the airline stated. “All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for.”

The airline added, “At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”