The anti-hijacking NSG is now permanently stationed at the airport and ready to fly within five minutes of an alert. (Ministry of Public Transport)
After the 1999 hijackings, air marshals had to be fully equipped to fly any number of sensitive flights. Sources revealed that even the crew was unaware of the existence of these air marshals and operational details are not in the public domain.
The hijacking of Air India Flight IC 814 has revolutionized aviation safety and the industry has become a top priority for governments, sources tell CNN-News18 amid the controversy sparked by the Netflix series, which has reignited questions about the 1999 incident. discuss.
On December 24, 1999, five masked men hijacked IC 814, which flew to New Delhi 40 minutes after taking off from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. The hijackers forced the captain to fly the plane into Pakistani airspace. The aircraft then landed in Amritsar with almost no fuel left as the flight did not have permission to land there.
After the plane refueled in Amritsar, the hijackers again forced the pilot to fly to Lahore. After some efforts and permission, the flight landed in Pakistan, refueled and flew to Dubai, but was also denied landing in Dubai. Later, when the flight landed in the United Arab Emirates, 27 of the 176 passengers on board were released. However, the hijackers shot and killed 25-year-old Rupin Katyal on the plane.
Government sources said the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) airport wing was formed after the 1999 hijackings and NSG law enforcers became an integral part of the flights.
The CISF, which was previously limited to protecting government buildings and facilities, is tasked with protecting airports across India. Until then, the airport was manned by local state police, but the government later realized the need to bring in a central force with a single command. At this time, the CISF Airport Division was established and became the largest unit in the force.
Sources added that the National Security Guard (NSG), which manages anti-hijacking operations, was not sent to Amritsar in 1999 as the decision was not made in the wake of delays in reaching the airport at Manesar made.
To overcome this vulnerability, anti-hijacking units are now always stationed at airports and are ready for takeoff within five minutes of being alerted, they added. The NSG has also opened such operations centers across India to cut down on time and the 26/11 terror attacks were also an important factor.
After the 1999 hijackings, air marshals had to be fully equipped to fly any number of sensitive flights. Sources revealed that even the crew was unaware of the existence of these air marshals and operational details are not in the public domain.
The IC 814 hijacking also changed the rules for flights between India and Nepal, with Air India suspending all flights to and from Kathmandu for five months. Flights resumed on June 1, 2000.
The airlines retained the same flight number “IC 814” until the IC code was changed and discontinued after the merger of Air India and Air India.
However, an additional drill has been added at Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu where after security and immigration checks, Air India and other private airlines are checking every passenger's baggage again on the boarding stairs before entering the flight. This is unique and only happens on flights from Kathmandu to India.
