Steven and Carol Moss, the former owners of Australia’s most expensive home, were reportedly aboard a FlyDubai jet caught up in a suspected hijacking attempt.
The Sydney couple were among 174 passengers on flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, when an Omani man allegedly stabbed the co-pilot during the journey.
The attacker is said to have tried to seize control of the aircraft, sending it plunging 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds, before passengers and crew overpowered him.
Despite suffering serious stab wounds, Captain Smit Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door and allow passengers to enter and help restore order.
A British pilot who was travelling off duty is also believed to have been among those who assisted during the emergency.
The Australian reported that Steven and Carol Moss were on board the flight. The couple built their wealth through the Katies fashion chain, which was co-founded by Steven Moss’ late father, Sam Moss.
The pair, who previously sold their grand Scottish baronial-style mansion in Point Piper, on Sydney’s eastern waterfront, to tech billionaire Scott Farquhar for $130 million, are understood to be recovering from the frightening incident.
They did not comment when approached by The Australian.
Passengers and crew reportedly subdued the man after he attacked his colleague and attempted to take control of the FlyDubai aircraft travelling at altitude from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning
Steven and Carol Moss (above), former owners of Australia’s most expensive home, were reportedly passengers on the flight
The Mosses’ property dealings have become part of Sydney real estate folklore.
In late 2020, the couple sold Edgewater, a prestigious waterfront estate in Point Piper that had ranked among the city’s most valuable residences.
Steven Moss’ father, Sam, purchased the property in 1985 with Joe Brender, his business partner and fellow Katies co-founder, for $5 million.
Five years ago, a buyer paid $95 million for Edgewater, making it Australia’s second-most expensive residential sale at the time.
The couple later set a national record with the late-2022 sale of Uig Lodge, their Scottish baronial mansion, for $130 million.
That figure was surpassed in 2025 after Victoria’s Coonac and a neighbouring apartment block were reportedly sold in a combined deal worth $136.1 million.
However, the Mosses still hold the record for the highest price paid for a single residential house in Australia.
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Previously described as “pillars” of Sydney’s Jewish community, Steven and Carol Moss have generally maintained a private life.
The aircraft (above) reportedly lost 24,000 feet in just 29 seconds before passengers helped regain control of the cockpit
The couple have also received recognition for their philanthropic support of Jewish schools in Sydney and Tel Aviv University.
Their work carries on the legacy of Sam Moss, who received an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University in 1990.
Sam Moss, a respected businessman and holocaust survivor, died at 90 years old in 2016.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull attended the opening of a library named in his honour in 2018 at Kesser Torah College, an Orthodox Jewish day school in east Sydney.
Steven Moss was seen talking to Turnbull alongside his brother, Meir Moss – president of the college’s board, at the event.
Many questions remain following the suspected hijacking attempt of FlyDubai flight FZ1073, including the hijacker’s identity and motive.
An anonymous colleague of the unnamed attacker told Israel’s Channel 16 the man was known for being a religious extremist.
Speaking in Hebrew, foreign editor and news anchor Yosef Yisrael read that the pilot was ‘someone characterised by very strange behaviour, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings [at Flydubai]’.
The Moss’, while largely private, are widely recognised for their philanthropy in Sydney’s Jewish community (pictured is Steven Moss, centre, with former prime minsiter Malcolm Turbull in 2018)
Mr Yisrael’s source said the attempted hijacker ‘used to pray a lot and would not shake hands with women’.
Saudi and UAE authorities have said little publicly beyond confirming that investigations were underway.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot was arrested.
In a CNN interview aired on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said the attacker was an Omani national and was being interrogated in Saudi Arabia.
He claimed the UAE´s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, agreed to let Israel join the interrogation of the suspect.
More to come…