AI Mumbai-Delhi flights get sky marshals after terror alert

Every Air India flight between Delhi and Mumbai had sky marshals onboard on Sunday, a week after one of the airline’s call centres in Delhi received an email threatening a terror strike on November 1.

“The email specifically said an IC flight will be the target on November 1. This information was passed on to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) as per  the rules,” said a senior Air India official.

The threat threw security and intelligence agencies into a tizzy in Delhi as several VIPs and Bollywood stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, were scheduled to take part in the half-marathon in the capital on Sunday.

Refusing to divulge details of the email, the Air India official said the cyber cell of the police is probing the case.

After going through the contents of the email, the BCAS put all international airports, including Mumbai and Delhi, on high alert.

CISF officials confirmed that the airports had deployed heavy security after the terror mail was received a week ago.

“Deployment of sky marshals was made mandatory for all flights of Air India. This was to make sure that nothing [untoward] happens,” said a senior government official.

Normally, sky marshals are posted randomly according to the instructions of the BCAS, the official said. Their number and position in aircraft cannot be revealed because of security reasons, the official said. The airline had received a similar email at its Mumbai office in April.