NIA probe into FlyDubai hijack attempt: Indian pilot Smit Machchar, 180 passengers, and UAPA/Anti-Hijacking Act provisions

Direct fact

In September 2026, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case over the FlyDubai flight incident of September 30, 2026, in which Indian pilot Smit Machchar helped save 180 people after a hijack attempt on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight.

Key specifics

• The incident occurred on September 30, 2026, on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
• Indian pilot Smit Machchar was injured after being attacked with a machete by deputy pilot Hamam al Hamami of Oman.
• The aircraft carried 180 people, all of whom were reported to have been saved.
• The NIA case was registered under Section 6 of the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016 and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
• The Ministry of Home Affairs directed the NIA to investigate because an Indian citizen was affected in a foreign-territory terror-related incident.

Exam lens

Question type: Polity and internal security match-the-following, with laws and agencies. Key facts: NIA, Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016, Section 6, UAPA, Ministry of Home Affairs, 180 passengers. TNPSC may ask which agency probes overseas terror incidents involving Indian citizens.