UAE Honors Two Off-Duty Pilots Who Helped Save Flydubai Passengers During Hijacking Attempt
The UAE honored two off-duty pilots who helped safely land flydubai Flight 1073 during a September 30 hijacking attempt, awarding the crew the First Class Order of Zayed II at an official ceremony.
The United Arab Emirates honored two off-duty pilots who helped save a planeload of passengers during a hijacking attempt aboard flydubai Flight 1073, formally recognizing their heroism at an official ceremony this week.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded the crew the First Class Order of Zayed II "in recognition of their courageous efforts to ensure the safety of passengers," with the honors personally presented on Tuesday by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
The two pilots were traveling as passengers aboard the September 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the copilot attacked the captain mid-flight and attempted to take control of the plane and crash it. The wounded captain and a group of Israeli passengers subdued the attacker as the aircraft plunged thousands of feet, and the two off-duty pilots then took over the controls and brought the damaged plane to a safe emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. A replacement aircraft later returned the passengers to Tel Aviv.
