US President Donald Trump hailed the flydubai pilot as a "hero" for fighting off a knife attack from the co-pilot, opening the cockpit door and calling for help to foil a bid to crash the aircraft.

Interacting with reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told him that a plumber, who had never flown an aircraft, made a dramatic intervention to steady the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight which landed in Saudi Arabia.