Former owners of Australia’s most expensive house were reportedly among 174 passengers on a Flydubai flight involved in a suspected hijacking attempt while travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Steven and Carol Moss were on board flight FZ1073 when an Omani man allegedly stabbed the co-pilot and seized control of the aircraft on Wednesday morning.
Passengers and crew are said to have overpowered the man after the aircraft plunged thousands of feet in less than half a minute.
The captain, Smit Machchhar, reportedly managed to open the cockpit door despite suffering severe injuries, allowing passengers to enter and regain control of the flight. A British off-duty pilot is also believed to have been among those who helped.
The Mosses, who built their fortune through the Katies fashion chain co-founded by Mr Moss’s late father, Sam Moss, are understood to be recovering after the ordeal.
The couple declined to comment when contacted.
Steven and Carol Moss previously owned Edgewater, a waterfront mansion in Point Piper, east Sydney. The property had been bought by Sam Moss and his Katies co-founder, Joe Brender, for $5 million in 1985.
Edgewater was sold in 2020 for $95 million, making it the second-highest residential sale in Australia at the time.
The couple later sold their Scottish baronial-style mansion, Uig Lodge, for $130 million in late 2022. That deal set a national record for a residential sale, which was broken in 2025 by a reported $136.1 million transaction involving Victoria’s most expensive home and neighbouring apartments.
The Mosses are understood still to hold the record for the highest price paid for an individual house.
