India, Dec. 27 -- Indian Airlines flight IC-814 with 190 passengers and crew was hijacked after entering Indian airspace on Friday. After a seven-hour journey across three countries, the aircraft landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where hostages remained on board on Christmas Day.

The Airbus A300 took off from Tribhuvan International airport, Kathmandu, at 4.25pm, two hours behind schedule. It was hijacked at 4.55pm as it entered Indian airspace for its descent to Lucknow. The hijackers, identified as a group linked to Kashmir militants, have demanded the release of five jailed colleagues.

The aircraft entered Pakistan airspace at 6.20pm and was refused permission to land at Lahore. By 6.40pm, Chandigarh, Jammu and Amritsar airports were ...