A joint counter-hijack and counter-terrorist exercise was conducted at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBI), Kolkata, between the night of July 18 and the early hours of July 19, 2025.
Carried out by the National Security Guard (NSG) in collaboration with several agencies, the drill aimed to assess the readiness of airport stakeholders to respond to emergencies involving civil aviation.
The first part of the exercise began at 9:34 p.m. on July 18, when air traffic control (ATC) received an emergency call from an A320 aircraft simulating a hijack with 75 dummy passengers and crew on board.
The aerodrome committee was activated, and the aircraft was moved to the Isolation Bay. Quick reaction teams from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) cordoned off the area, while personnel from the intelligence bureau (IB) and ministry of home affairs (MHA) began negotiations with the hijackers.
When talks failed, the NSG’s counter hijack task force (CHTF) launched an operation to storm the aircraft. The simulated rescue concluded at 2:15 a.m. on July 19 with all dummy passengers and crew "rescued" and the "hijackers" neutralised.
Running parallel to the hijack scenario, a counter-terrorist drill began at 9:00 p.m. on July 18. The situation involved an "armed" assault on Airports Authority of India (AAI) operational offices, where 12 staff members were "taken hostage" and the power supply was cut.
The special task force (STF) of the state police cordoned off the area and attempted an entry but faced resistance and simulated casualties. After the hijack situation was resolved, the NSG took over the hostage rescue operation.
With inputs from the STF, the NSG team executed a tactical response, ending with the "neutralisation" of six "terrorists" and the rescue of all hostages. This second phase concluded at 4:25 p.m. on July 19.
According to officials, the joint exercise involved close coordination between AAI, CISF, ATC, airlines, State Police, IB, MHA, and NSG. The drill served as a test of crisis management, communication flow, and decision-making structures across multiple agencies in scenarios involving civil aviation threats.
AAI and NSCBI Airport thanked all participating agencies “for their commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety and security in civil aviation.”