ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-10-01 · by Claire Campbell and Girish Sawlani
Israel has honored five citizens with heroism awards for their role in preventing a passenger plane from crashing after one pilot stabbed the other mid-flight. Flydubai flight FZ1073, carrying 174 people, was en route to Tel Aviv when it experienced an attack that caused the plane to plummet rapidly. Passengers and crew intervened, seizing control of the aircraft and safely landing it in Saudi Arabia despite extremely dangerous circumstances. President Isaac Herzog praised their actions as a reflection of Israel's courageous society, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called one recipient, plumber Yaniv Hayoun, a hero who saved many lives.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
Israel has honoured five of its citizens who prevented a passenger plane from crashing with heroism awards.
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who → honour → awards
One pilot told the ABC it was a miracle people survived.
What's next?
An Israeli minister has called for the co-pilot who stabbed the plane's captain mid-air to be extradited to his country for "a life of hell".
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who → tell → hell
Israel has honoured five of its citizens who helped fight off a pilot who attempted to crash a passenger plane as it flew to Israel with heroism awards.
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it → honour → awards
Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai was scheduled to land in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, but was diverted and landed in Saudi Arabia after one pilot stabbed the other in the cockpit and "apparently tried to crash the plane", according to Israel's prime minister.
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pilot → schedule → minister
But passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 were able to foil the co-pilot's attempt to crash the plane and managed to safely land it after it plummeted thousands of metres in a minute.
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it → foil → minute
"You put yourselves at risk to save others and prevented a terrible disaster," Israel's President Isaac Herzog said in a statement honouring those who helped.
"
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who → put → those
The whole world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society.
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world → see → society
I am proud of you, and I thank you on behalf of the state of Israel."
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I → thank → Israel
Among the Israelis to receive the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism is Yaniv Hayoun, a plumber who seized control of the plane, helping save all 174 people on board, including two Australians.
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who → receive → Australians
Mr Hayoun, still wearing a bloodied shirt, was personally greeted at Ben Gurion Airport by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called him "a hero who has saved many lives".
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who → wear → lives
Another award recipient, Asaf Rajuan, said it was an "extraordinary incident".
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it → say → ?
"We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn't know who to turn to," he said.
"But it was all instinct: to survive, to save the family, the people, and the children."
Plane's captain recovering well, Indian embassy says
Mr Herzog and Mr Netanyahu have also praised the plane's Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, who Israeli officials said managed to open the cockpit door to let passengers and crew save the plane after he was stabbed by the co-pilot.
Mr Machchhar is in a good health and recovering well in hospital, according to the the Indian embassy in the UAE.
"He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals," Mr Netanyahu said in a post on X.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him a "hero".
"In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others.
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he → feel → others
His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy," Mr Modi said.
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Modi → help → tragedy
Pilot says survival of passengers 'close to a miracle'
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survival → say → miracle
Pilot Gyorgy Peto, who is also a former aviation journalist, told the ABC the landing of this plane made "the landing on the Hudson like a walk in the park".
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landing → tell → park
"Honestly the chances that this was survivable was pretty much close to zero," he told The World.
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he → tell → World
He said the aircraft was "close to breaking the speed of sound" when it descended so rapidly.
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it → say → sound
"There are a lot of small bits here that are close to a miracle, but this whole thing is just stunning in itself," Mr Peto said.
"Luck is a very important player in this whole equation."
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Luck → be → equation
He said changes to the aviation industry would inevitably come from the incident.
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changes → say → incident
"The whole flying set up, from a security point of view, was never planned that the pilots would attack each other," he said.
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he → plan → other
"I think there's a lot of changes coming, and a lot of uncomfortable changes, because of this."
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I → think → this
Mr Peto said that should include better, more stringent background checks on pilots.
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that → say → pilots
Minister calls for 'terrorist' pilot to face 'life of hell' in Israel
Mr Netanyahu claimed the flydubai co-pilot involved in a mid-air incident, identified as an Omani national, had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination".
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pilot → call → indoctrination
But the United Arab Emirates has started its own investigations seeking to establish the circumstances and motives, and determine "whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction", according to UAE state news agency.
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incident → start → agency
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir said he wanted the pilot extradited to Israel.
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pilot → say → Israel
"I will demand in the cabinet to extradite the terrorist pilot who wanted to harm hundreds of innocent Israelis to Israel," he wrote on X.
"Here, he will encounter my policy in the prisons very well on his own flesh, a life of hell awaits him here!"
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life → demand → him
The Aporia
