NSG to enhance 'Sky Marshals' on-board Indian flights

New Delhi: The National Security Guard will deploy an enhanced number of ‘Sky Marshals’ or covert armed commandos on-board Indian airliners flying to sensitive routes as part of an enhanced civil aviation security protocol, official sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said the commandos drawn from the ‘Black Cat’ commandos 52 Special Action Group (SAG) have been drafted to be deployed in certain national and international routes as part of a reviewed counter-hijack policy.

The National Security Guard (NSG) ‘Sky Marshals’ are being trebled from currently about 40 to more than 110, the sources told PTI.

The NSG is a federal counter-terrorist commando force that was raised in 1984 to undertake specific operations to neutralise terror and hijack threats.

Its 52 SAG, drawn from Army personnel, is trained to undertake counter-hijack operations, make tactical breach and intervention in the aircraft in case of hijack or sabotage-like incidents.

NSG ‘Sky Marshals’ travel alone or in pairs on-board Indian airlines aircraft like normal passengers but they have a concealed weapon and some specialised gadgets to combat hijackers and rescue passengers in case such an incident takes place.

Traditionally, the ‘Sky Marshals’ have been deployed on flights that go towards the western side of the country. Over the last decade, officials said, these commandos are being deployed across various sectors including some international routes.

The identity of the ‘Sky Marshals’ is kept secret and only the pilot in command (PIC) of a flight knows the commandos.