Indian Airlines Deputy Managing Director V Kashyap on Saturday said sky marshals are deployed randomly on select routes perceived to be prone to terrorism.

Also see: Suspected hijacking was a 'mock exercise'
 
He was talking to rediff.com soon after news spread in the capital that an Alliance Air plane had been hijacked. The hijacking turned out to be a drill by security agencies.

Alliance Air is a subsidiary of IA.

He said National Security Guard commandos are deployed on select Indian Airlines flights in consultation with the security agencies concerned.

"The threat of terrorism is felt all over the world. We are taking all measures to ensure that passengers and aircraft are safe," he said.

NSG commandos are given special training on aviation security after which they are deployed as sky marshals. They mingle among passengers in civilian clothes, IA sources said.

Private airlines like Jet Airways and Sahara had initially resisted having sky marshals on their flights, but have now accepted their necessity, sources said.

The sources indicated that certain international guidelines have been issued for aviation security but these could not be divulged.