Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Wednesday evening with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan following the suspected attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, as Israel moved to temporarily allow Israeli airlines to resume flights to the UAE under special security arrangements.
Netanyahu revealed the conversation while meeting at Ben Gurion Airport with Yaniv Hayun, one of the Israeli passengers who helped overpower the suspected attacker aboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
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After Flydubai attack, Netanyahu calls UAE leader as Israeli airlines get temporary clearance
(Photo: Shalev Shalom, AP, Jack GUEZ / AFP)
“I spoke with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, and we said that we are going to sort out the entire security issue,” Netanyahu told Hayun.
The conversation comes as Israeli authorities reassess security arrangements on flights between Israel and the UAE following Wednesday’s cockpit attack. Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Zayed had also met in Abu Dhabi earlier this week for talks that the two governments said included bilateral relations and regional issues.
At the same time, the Shin Bet granted Israeli airlines temporary approval for several days to operate flights to the UAE using leased aircraft while the investigation into Wednesday’s incident continues.
Israeli carriers have been unable to operate regular flights to Dubai because of a dispute over Israeli security requirements. The temporary arrangement is intended to provide an alternative while authorities examine the implications of the Flydubai incident.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev has demanded that Flydubai flights to Israel be suspended until the investigation is completed, while also calling for Israeli airlines to be allowed back onto UAE routes so Israeli travelers are not left without alternatives.
Regev had earlier asked authorities to examine whether the aviation arrangements between Israel and the UAE had been violated after reports that the suspected co-pilot was an Omani national.
The issue remains under discussion among the relevant Israeli security and aviation authorities.
Netanyahu: Passenger broke into cockpit
Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu described the incident aboard FZ1073 based on an account he said he received from one of the Israeli passengers who intervened.
“During the flight, as they approached Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone aboard,” Netanyahu said.
Flydubai hero Yaniv Hayun meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Kobi Gideon/ GPO)
“I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane entered a spin and began to plunge. He told me that, somehow, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members, and together they subdued the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the aircraft’s systems.”
Netanyahu said another flight crew aboard the aircraft then entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane.
“I salute these heroes who showed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage,” he said. “They saved many lives. They prevented a major disaster.”
The aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after the violent cockpit incident and rapid loss of altitude. Israeli officials have described the episode as a suspected terror attack, while Flydubai has said the cause and motive remain under official investigation.
Netanyahu said the suspected attacker was arrested and questioned by Saudi authorities and that Israel remained in continuous contact with the relevant authorities.
Katz: ‘Attempted jihadist terrorist attack’
Defense Minister Israel Katz went further Wednesday, declaring the incident an “attempted jihadist terrorist attack.”
“The attempted attack was thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to another flight crew that was present there,” Katz said.
“According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers.”
Flydubai, however, has urged against premature conclusions, saying the reasons and motives behind the incident remain unknown while authorities investigate.
That distinction remains central as Israel reviews both the security failure aboard FZ1073 and the broader arrangements governing one of its busiest international air links.