Hijack threat, AI planes put on high alert

NEW DELHI: Government has put all Air India planes operating in the country's neighbourhood on high security alert and directed the airlines to deploy sky marshals following intelligence inputs that Pakistan-based LET and other terror groups were planning to hijack a flight.

A directive has been issued to all Indian missions abroad to sensitise the staff of the airlines, official sources said.

According to intelligence inputs, terrorist groups having allegiance with al-Qaida, Lashker-e-Taiba and Jamat-ul-Dawa were planning to hijack an Air India plane especially operating in or from SAARC countries -- Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India as well.

Hijacking could be attempted by the terrorists from airports located at Yangon, Dhaka and Colombo. Security of planes operating to Bhutan has also been beefed up, the sources said.

Following this input, the civil aviation ministry has directed all the airlines especially Air India to take extra steps besides asking Bureau of civil aviation security to deploy sky marshals on aircraft operating on such routes, the sources said.

On its part, the external affairs ministry has asked Indian missions, particularly in SAARC countries, to brief the staff of the Air India and other Indian carriers about the threat.