Air Marshal Deployment To Be Doubled On 'Sensitive Route' Flights Amid Rising Bomb Threats; Who Are They | Explained

Bomb Threats: The steadily rising number of bomb threats received by airlines has prompted the Centre to move to double the number of sky marshals on flights originating from airports across the country, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday.

A senior official from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed to ANI that the decision was taken following an assessment of the growing threat and receipt of inputs from intelligence agencies.

"The fresh batch of Air Marshals will be deployed on new international routes added in sensitive category based on intelligence report. The decision was taken after several rounds of meetings will all stakeholders in aviation security," the officer stated.

BOMB THREATS: WHO ARE AIR MARSHALS OR SKY MARSHALS?

Air marshals or sky marshals are highly trained counter-terror operatives who are covertly placed on civilian flights to deal with possible hijacking attempts.

The plain-clothed officers are armed with concealed firearms for instant intervention whenever required. In India, personnel from a specialised unit of the National Security Guard (NSG) are tasked with ensuring the safety of passenger aircraft mid-air.

SKY MARSHAL TRAINING

These personnel are trained in anti-terror and anti-hijacking measures. They are mainly deployed on flights operating on international routes, and a few domestic routes are classified as sensitive.

AIR MARSHAL: WHEN DID INDIA START DEPLOYING THEM?

India began deploying sky marshals after the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, which was taken to Afghanistan's Kandahar by its hijackers.

As per reports, flights originating from India and destined for Kabul, Kathmandu, Colombo, certain places in Canada and a few other destinations in the Middle East fall under sensitive routes. The number of sky marshals per flight ranges from two to six, depending upon the threat perception.

(With inputs from ANI)