Three Indians Join Guinness World Record Skydive in Libya

Three UAE-based Indian skydivers took part in a Guinness World Record skydive over Benghazi, Libya, on 7 August 2026. The jump involved 65 international skydivers from 38 nationalities, who exited a single military Ilyushin Il-76TD aircraft at an altitude of 13,000 feet.

Guinness World Records in Sport

Guinness World Records is a reference book and records authority that documents measurable human, natural, and technical achievements. In sports and adventure activities, records are verified through fixed rules, independent observation, and measurable parameters such as height, distance, time, or number of participants.

Skydiving and Formation Jumps

Skydiving is a parachuting activity in which a person exits an aircraft and descends using a parachute. Formation jumps involve multiple skydivers leaving an aircraft in a planned sequence and maintaining body positions, spacing, and timing during freefall.

In large formation jumps, participants must coordinate exit order, fall rate, and canopy deployment. National flags add an extra handling requirement because oversized fabric can interfere with parachutes if spacing is not maintained.

Libya, Benghazi, and the Aircraft Used

Benghazi is a major city in eastern Libya and one of the country’s principal urban centres on the Mediterranean coast. The record jump used a military Ilyushin Il-76TD, a Soviet-designed four-engine turbofan transport aircraft widely used for cargo and troop transport.

The Il-76 family has been used in military and civilian aviation for heavy-lift operations, airdrops, and large-group transport. The altitude of 13,000 feet placed the jump within the standard operational range for high-altitude parachute exits.

Indian Participants and Tricolour Display

The three Indian participants were Jamsheer Thanalot from Kerala, Abhishek Rawat from Uttar Pradesh, and Isha Raj from Bihar. All three unfurled the Indian Tricolour during the jump, and the group had a combined experience of more than 1,500 jumps.

Guinness World Records verified the feat on 14 August 2026 as the most skydivers jumping simultaneously with national flags from a single aircraft. The event took place just before India’s Independence Day on 15 August.

Important Facts for Exams

• Guinness World Records was founded in 1955 and publishes records across sports, science, nature, and human achievements.
• The Ilyushin Il-76TD is a heavy transport aircraft developed in the Soviet Union and used for military logistics and airdrop missions.
• Skydiving records are usually measured by the number of participants, altitude, formation size, or duration of freefall.
• Benghazi is the second-largest city in Libya and a key city in the Cyrenaica region.