NSG conducts overnight counter-hijack and anti-terror mock drill at Kolkata airport

The National Security Guard (NSG), in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), conducted an intensive overnight full-scale joint exercise simulating counter-hijack and anti-terror operations at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The drill, which commenced late on Friday, concluded in the early hours of Saturday, and aimed to test inter-agency coordination and response effectiveness in the event of a high-risk security scenario.

According to a statement released by the AAI on Sunday, the exercise was meticulously coordinated with multiple stakeholders, including the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and West Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF).

Simulated Aircraft Hijack
The first phase of the operation involved a mock hijack scenario involving an Airbus A320 aircraft carrying 75 dummy passengers and crew. The simulation began when Air Traffic Control received a distress signal from the “hijacked” aircraft.

In response, the Aerodrome Committee was activated and the aircraft was directed to the Isolation Bay for containment. CISF Quick Reaction Teams swiftly cordoned off the area, while negotiators from IB and MHA attempted dialogue with the simulated hijackers.

Upon failure of negotiations, the NSG’s elite Counter Hijack Task Force (CHTF) initiated a tactical intervention, successfully rescuing all passengers and neutralising the “threats.” This phase concluded by 2:15 AM.

Simultaneously, a parallel exercise simulating a terrorist attack on AAI operational buildings was launched at around 9:00 PM on July 18. The scenario involved armed intruders taking 12 staff members hostage and disabling the power supply.

Initial containment efforts by the State Police STF encountered heavy resistance, resulting in simulated casualties. Once the aircraft hijack situation was resolved, the NSG team redeployed to handle the second threat.

Following a comprehensive briefing from the STF, the NSG executed a coordinated strike, neutralising six simulated terrorists and rescuing all hostages. The counter-terror operation concluded successfully at 4:25 AM.