Two Australian citizens were among the passengers on a flydubai aircraft involved in an attempted hijacking while travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, the Israeli embassy in Canberra has confirmed.
The couple have been identified as Sydney residents Steven and Carol Moss. Their family made its fortune through the Australian fashion chain Katies, which was co-founded by Steven Moss’s father, Sam Moss, an Auschwitz survivor, in the 1950s.
The flight descended sharply after its second officer allegedly stabbed the co-pilot and attacked him with an emergency evacuation axe. The struggle reportedly damaged the aircraft’s rudder as the pilots fought to retain control.
Passengers became aware of the disturbance in the cockpit and several intervened. Yaniv Hayoun said passengers worked for about 20 minutes to restrain the second officer, an Omani national who has been arrested over a suspected act of terrorism.
“When I went in, I saw the terrorist on the controls, between the two seats. There were no pilots in the seats,” Mr Hayoun said.
He said he seized the alleged attacker and pulled him away before returning to the controls as the aircraft was descending.
“I grabbed the terrorist, put him in a hold, and first of all pulled him outside,” he said.
Mr Hayoun later recounted the incident during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the second officer had appeared to be attempting to destroy the controls as the aircraft plunged.
He said Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, made a crucial decision to unlock the cockpit door after being attacked. A British pilot also helped save the aircraft from plunging to the ground, according to Mr Hayoun.
Asked how he knew what to do, Mr Hayoun told Mr Netanyahu that he watches the Canadian documentary series Mayday, which covers aircraft crashes, hijackings and bombings.
