Yaniv Hayun
Awards & Honours
3
Awards Won
6
Honours
2
Records
The honors that came to Hayun in October 2026 span three countries and every level of official recognition, which is unusual for a private citizen with no prior public role. Israel gave him its highest civilian bravery award. The United States Congress passed a bipartisan resolution naming him among the passengers who responded. A sitting US president thanked him by name on video, and a US ambassador handed him a signed cap at the embassy in Jerusalem. His own city and its basketball club followed with a citation and a guest-of-honor slot. What makes the list notable is not its length but its range: municipal, national and foreign, all inside a few weeks, all for a few minutes of action.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism
Israel's highest honor for civilian bravery, presented for his actions aboard Flydubai Flight 1073.
Hineni Award
Award recognizing his courage during the attempted hijacking.
City Hero Citation
Municipal honor from his home city.
Guest of Honor, Ironi Ness Ziona B.C.
Honored at the club's first home game of the Israeli Basketball Premier League season.
Bipartisan Congressional Resolution
Resolution honoring the passengers who responded to the attempted hijacking and Captain Smit Machchhar.
Personal Thanks from President Donald Trump
A video message thanking Hayun personally, plus a cap signed by the president presented at the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
Records & Feats
First passenger to confront the assailant on Flydubai Flight 1073
Hayun left his seat before anyone else and reached the cockpit, subduing the co-pilot who had attacked Captain Smit Machchhar.
Helped level a passenger jet using knowledge from a TV documentary series
He pulled back on the yoke to help bring the aircraft out of a roughly 17,000-foot dive, crediting the series Mayday with teaching him the maneuver.