Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 was a commercial flight that was hijacked on December 24, 1999, while en route from Kathmandu, Nepal, to New Delhi, India. The aircraft, an Airbus A300, was hijacked by five armed men shortly after entering Indian airspace. The hijackers forced the plane to land at several locations—Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai, and finally Kandahar, Afghanistan, which was under the control of the Taliban at the time.

The hijackers demanded the release of militants from Indian prisons in exchange for the hostages. After a week-long standoff, the Indian government agreed to release three prisoners, including Masood Azhar, in exchange for the safe release of the hostages. The crisis ended on December 31, 1999, with all 176 passengers and crew being released, though one passenger was killed during the ordeal.

The incident had a significant impact on India's security and counterterrorism policies. It also highlighted the challenges of dealing with hijackings and negotiations involving terrorist groups.