Manama: Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the managers and operators of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), hosted the kick-off meeting for BIA’s 2014 full scale emergency exercise scheduled to be held in December this year.
The meeting was attended by BAC’s Management and officials from the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Health, as well as key stakeholders, all of whom are instrumental in the success of this exercise.
The BIA Full-Scale Emergency Exercise is held every two years in accordance with the regulations and standards issued by the Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and provide an ideal opportunity to rehearse the Airport Emergency Plan already in place and monitor BIA’s readiness to deal with unfortunate incidents.
“The biannual emergency exercise is of significant importance to Bahrain International Airport, as it enables us to assess the preparedness of the airport emergency plans and put our readiness to the test. The purpose of this exercise is to help us further improve the safety processes at the airport in line with global aviation standards and our on-going commitment to furthering our position as a safe, secure and efficient airport”, Mohamed Thamir Al Kaabi, Chief Airport Operating Officer at Bahrain Airport Company, said.
The inaugural meeting marks the start of strategic planning and logistical preparation for the biannual emergency exercise and is the first in a series of sessions to be held by all participants until the event takes place in December.
“We are proud to report that Bahrain International Airport has proven year after year that the airport and all our partners are very well prepared to overcome any scenario that occurs and this stands testament to the unity and binding collaboration between BIA and all parties involved in working as a team to accomplish this important exercise,” Al Kaabi, said.
In 2012, a similar exercise was conducted successfully. The emergency scenario was a dummy aircraft that had crash landing on South East of the runway as a result of a hydraulic failure and fire on board upon touchdown.
Actors played the role of passengers, some unscathed, whilst others were injured and deceased. The accident scenario activated a full scale emergency that involved a coordinated effort to tackle the situation from Bahrain Airport Company, the Civil Aviation Affairs, Health, Interior, Defense and Information Ministries, plus several other organizations, including the National Guard, Bahrain Airport Services, Gulf Air and DHL.
The public were informed well in advance so as not to be concerned about the situation and steps were taken to ensure BIA’s operations, aircraft and passenger’s movement were not affected.