The Israeli passengers aboard the Flydubai flight that was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia returned home Wednesday evening, bringing an end to hours of uncertainty following a terrifying midair incident that Israeli officials say could have ended in catastrophe.

Shortly after the passengers arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Yaniv Hayon, one of the Israeli passengers who helped overpower the pilot accused of trying to bring down the aircraft.

“I’m looking at you and I see a great hero,” Netanyahu told Hayon.

Hayon then gave Netanyahu a firsthand account of the extraordinary moments inside the cockpit.

“I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold and pulled him out. I called the Israeli guys who were with us, jumped back in and pulled the controls. I watch the series ‘Air Crash Investigation.’ The plane started to stabilize, and then the replacement pilot told me he was taking control.”

The confrontation unfolded aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 as it traveled from Dubai to Tel Aviv with a large number of Israeli passengers aboard.

According to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, one pilot stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft. Flydubai has confirmed that an altercation occurred on the flight deck, but said Wednesday that the reasons and motives behind the incident remain under investigation. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

Flight-tracking data showed the Boeing 737 plunging dramatically during the incident. Reports varied on the precise altitude loss, but data reviewed by multiple outlets showed the aircraft dropping roughly 16,000 to 20,000 feet in a matter of minutes as the emergency unfolded. The plane also transmitted emergency signals, including a code associated with unlawful interference or hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets.

Passengers described sheer terror inside the cabin as the aircraft suddenly began losing altitude.

“The plane plunged downward. I wasn’t praying that we would get out alive; I was praying that it would just end and that my children wouldn’t suffer,” one passenger told Channel 12.

Another passenger, Daniel, described hearing a commotion and then realizing that one pilot had been stabbed.

“I heard a loud noise and understood that one pilot had stabbed the other with a pocketknife. I saw the blood on the floor. The three Israelis who neutralized him are real heroes, they jumped forcefully on the pilot and tied him up with headphones.”

As passengers screamed and cried out Shema Yisrael, Israelis and crew members moved to stop the attacker and regain control of the aircraft. Netanyahu said a passenger and crew member succeeded in entering the cockpit and neutralizing the attacking pilot. Other reports said additional passengers assisted in restraining him.

Daniel said the ordeal lasted only minutes, but to those aboard it felt far longer.

“The plane stopped spinning when they took control. It took 2 to 3 minutes, but we felt like September 11 was happening again,” he said. “I looked outside, saw desert, and the first thing that jumped into my head was that they were hijacking us to Iran. The moment the cockpit door closed, the replacement pilot explained that we were going to land, and only then did we really understand what we had been through.”

The aircraft ultimately landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were taken to a hospital, and Saudi authorities detained the alleged attacker. All passengers were reported safe.

Video from aboard the aircraft showed passengers erupting in relief after the emergency landing, singing “Am Yisrael Chai” and “Od Avinu Chai.”

Israeli security officials immediately opened an investigation. Earlier accounts initially described the episode as a fight between the pilots and said the motive remained uncertain. As additional passenger testimony emerged, senior Israeli officials increasingly treated the incident as a suspected attempt to deliberately crash the aircraft, although Flydubai said the motive had not yet been formally established.

The passengers subsequently departed Saudi Arabia aboard a rescue flight and returned to Israel Wednesday evening. According to Israeli media, the Mossad was involved in security arrangements surrounding their return, including vetting the crew operating the rescue flight.

When the rescue aircraft entered Israeli airspace, air traffic controllers at Ben Gurion Airport welcomed the passengers home.

“Good evening Sky Dubai 1073, welcome to Israel. Thank you for bringing our passengers safely home.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)