23 hrs ago
NIA Opens Probe Into Mid-Air Attack on Indian Pilot
An attack happened aboard a flydubai plane on September 30, 2026.
The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The FIR says the Omani first officer stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar while the plane was over Saudi Arabia.
Passengers and crew stopped and restrained the first officer.
Machchhar was badly injured, with cuts to his head and hands.
Other pilots landed the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities arrested the first officer after landing.
India’s National Investigation Agency opened a case to investigate the attack and whether there was a larger plan behind it.
India’s National Investigation Agency registered a case to investigate the stabbing of Captain Smit Machchhar aboard flydubai flight 1073.
The attack occurred on September 30, 2026, during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, in Saudi airspace near the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border.
The FIR says the Omani first officer allegedly stabbed Machchhar in an apparent attempt to hijack the aircraft or cause it to crash.
Passengers and crew restrained the first officer; Machchhar suffered deep cuts to his head and hands.
Other pilots landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, where Saudi authorities arrested the first officer; the NIA case was filed at the Home Ministry’s direction.
- Who
- Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked; the FIR names the Omani first officer as the accused. The National Investigation Agency is investigating.
- What
- An alleged mid-air stabbing that officials said appeared to be an attempt to hijack or crash the aircraft.
- Where
- Aboard flydubai flight 1073 in Saudi airspace near the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border; the plane later landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- When
- The incident occurred September 30, 2026; the NIA filed its FIR on October 9, 2026.
- Why
- The Home Ministry directed an NIA investigation because of the offence’s gravity and the need to uncover any larger conspiracy.
Key facts
- Flight
- flydubai flight 1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Incident date
- September 30, 2026
- People aboard
- 174 passengers and six crew members, according to the FIR
- Accused
- The FIR identifies the Omani first officer
- Injuries
- Machchhar sustained deep cuts to his head and hands
- Landing
- The aircraft landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk at 10:45 a.m. GMT
- Investigation
- The NIA registered the case on the Home Ministry’s direction
- Provisions cited
- Section 3 of the Anti Hijacking Act, 2016, and Section 16 read with Section 15(1)(a) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
Quotes
National Investigation Agency FIR
The FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency concerning the flight and attack.
“The Central government has received information that flydubai flight no 1073, which was being piloted by Indian national pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and an Omani first officer, departed from Dubai on September 30, 2026 at 7.05 am (GMT) with 174 passengers and six crew members”
thehindubusinessline.com
Sources
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