Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], July 8 (ANI): The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Wednesday conducted the Annual Anti-Hijacking Mock Exercise (AHME) at Rajkot Airport to assess the preparedness and response capabilities of various agencies in handling a simulated aircraft hijacking scenario, a release said.

The exercise was chaired by Additional Commissioner of Police, Rajkot, Chaitanya Mandlik, and saw the participation of senior officials and personnel from the CISF, Airports Authority of India (AAI), the district administration, the Intelligence Bureau, airlines, aviation stakeholders, and other participating agencies.

According to the CISF, the mock drills strengthen operational readiness, enhance inter-agency coordination, and reinforce preparedness to address evolving aviation security challenges.

In June, an anti-hijacking mock exercise (AHME) was successfully conducted at the Chennai International Airport to evaluate and strengthen the operational readiness and emergency response capabilities of multiple security and civil aviation agencies.

The high-profile security drill was held under the supervision of J Anne Mary Swarna, Joint Home Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, and in the presence of R Ponni, DIG/CASO, along with senior officials from participating stakeholder departments, as per a statement released by CISF earlier.

The comprehensive exercise simulated a highly realistic aircraft takeover scenario, utilising a passenger bus to accurately recreate complex operational conditions on the ground.

Such joint military-civilian exercises play a vital role in fortifying protocols against hijacking threats, sharpening immediate operational response capabilities, and ensuring that all security apparatuses can seamlessly work together to tackle evolving global aviation security challenges, it added. (ANI)