Y Mallikarjun in Hyderabad

When Indian Airlines co-pilot Rajender Kumar Goud attends the anti-hijacking programme at the Central Training Establishment in Hyderabad he will have a world of experience to share with other aviators.

Goud, co-pilot of the Kathmandu-New Delhi Flight IC-814 hijacked last year by Pakistan-backed militants to Kandahar in Afghanistan, believes it was only the patience of passengers and crew that paid off for them.

Recalling the ordeal, he and other members of the crew of Flight IC-814 said there was a need for more stringent security measures, and a let-up in security had resulted in the hijack.

After the Kandahar incident, Indian Airlines security personnel at Kathmandu airport now check passenger baggage at the stepladder, a practice being followed at Hyderabad's Begumpet airport too. But, sadly, such measures have not yet been taken at many other airports, Goud said.

Flight purser Sateesh, recalling the incidents, said, "At least on three or four occasions we felt, 'this is the end for us.' Whenever the talks failed, the whole atmosphere in the aircraft changed. We lost all hopes on the morning of December 30 when they told us to offer our last prayers."

"The incident was more harrowing because the hijackers were panicking each time the talks failed and threatened to kill at least 10 passengers and throw their bodies on the tarmac. It was a horrible nightmare and we were not sure whether we would be safe. A stupid mistake by a hijacker could have resulted in a disaster," Goud added.

But the crew members said the incident had not affected their normal functioning. "Everything became normal and I was the second person to rejoin duty within a week of the hijacking," said Sateesh.

Airhostess Tapa Debnath said she used to cry almost daily thinking about her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and described their release as a "rebirth". She does not want to ever think of the "horrible incident."

Senior airhostess Rajini Shekhar's father said his daughter had emerged mentally stronger from the episode. Being the senior airhostess, she had to face the situation and "I am proud to say she tackled it very bravely and tactfully. Her main objective was to ensure the safety of the 200-odd passengers. We were terribly worried, but when we heard the news about their release I felt my daughter had got a second birth."

Another airhostess Sabita Khail Kho said the incident had made her stronger and more positive towards life.

Stating it had taught her to be more careful with passengers and to have keen observation, Kho said she was expecting to celebrate New Year with all the crew of the hijacked Airbus.

UNI

The Hijack: One Year On