Upington International Airport yesterday held an emergency aircraft crash simulation as part of its efforts to remain prepared for any eventuality.
“Emergency simulations are required to ensure that the airport remains compliant with international aviation safety protocols,” the senior manager corporate affairs for regional airports at Airports Company South Africa, Senzeni Ndebele, said.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) require a full-scale emergency exercise every two years to test the state of emergency preparedness of all stakeholders that work with the airport authority.
The crisis simulation started at 9.30am and involved a “terrorist attack” and an aircraft “crash” a few hundred metres from the runway. The “accident” scene was attended to by Upington International Airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team, the SAPS and emergency services from the Upington municipality.
Present at Upington International Airport’s Emergency Control Centre were its Disaster Management team and heads of all responding disciplines, including fire, traffic, EMS, SAPS and airline staff.
Ndebele said the emergency simulation was designed to test not only readiness but also the ability of all emergency services to adapt to a fast-changing situation.
“During the exercise a number of sudden changes were introduced to simulate the confusion that typically accompanies any major emergency. Our emergency management team is satisfied with the ability of emergency services to cope in such conditions,” she said.
“Details of the incident were not shared in advance in order to provide the most realistic environment for first responders and emergency staff,” added Ndebele.
“It is essential that we test our state of readiness as an airport, as well as the levels of co-ordination among all additional resources that respond from Upington municipality. We are proud of Upington International Airport for excelling at this test.
“This kind of exercise also provides passengers with the assurance and confidence that the airport is always prepared for emergencies,” Ndebele concluded.