Mumbai:
With intelligence alerts warning of a possible terror strike at Mumbai's airport, a special drill was conducted there today. It was described by airport officials as "an anti-hijack exercise."
The drill began shortly before 2 pm and ended 90 minutes later. It was conducted near the secondary runway which remains closed on Fridays for maintenance. Flights were therefore not affected.
Recently, intelligence agencies have said that terrorists may hijack a small plane or helicopter to target the Chattrapati Shivaji airport.
A statement by the Mumbai International Airport (Private) Limited (MIAL) said that a bus was used to represent a hijacked plane; security guards and members of the airport staff pretended to be hostages.
"The exercise, which was to assess the preparedness of all Security teams at the airport in dealing such crisis situations, ended successfully," claims MIAL.