Hijack alert on India-Dubai route

A major security exercise has been launched by Indian carriers flying out of Dubai, after a tip-off that one of them could be hijacked. Foll...

A major security exercise has been launched by Indian carriers flying out of Dubai, after a tip-off that one of them could be hijacked. Following the warning from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Indian Airlines has started making extra payments to Dubai airport authorities for additional security checks there.

The hijack threat was highlighted during a BCAS meeting today, after the first warning was issued on June 25, based on a tip-off from Defence Intelligence units, which was corroborated by other agencies. Senior Defence and Home Ministry officials are now learnt to have got into the act.

In the event, Indian Airlines has started paying 400 dirhams per flight to airport authorities in Dubai for additional security arrangements such as frisking and ladder-point checks. The carrier operates 16 flights a week from Dubai—the extra security cover means additional expenditure of about Rs 80,000 every week.

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Sources said more security staff have been hired through the Dubai airport for patrolling Indian aircraft on the tarmac. Special gadgets have been put in place to check both passengers and cargo. Air India, however, claims to have sufficient security personnel already posted at Dubai to meet such demands. ‘‘All anti-hijacking and anti-sabotage measures have been taken to respond to the alert. In general, security has been stepped up after this alert,’’ an A-I spokesperson said.

While the hijack alarm is specifically for the Dubai sector, both national carriers have put all their station offices across the Gulf on high alert. Air India alone operates nearly 100 flights a week to the Gulf.

Indian airports, which have flights landing from Gulf, have been put on high alert too, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode and Hyderabad. Police in Delhi and Mumbai have also been alerted.