Ibiza Airport has carried out this Wednesday a general air crash drill, in which the reaction and coordination capacity of all the groups involved in a real emergency has been tested.
The exercise, which is part of the requirements established by the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and complies with the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), was attended by some 70 people, including employees, extras and members of various emergency services.
Brake failure simulates a realistic accident
The recreated scenario simulated the runway departure of an aircraft after landing, due to a failure in the braking system, which caused the aircraft to stop beyond the runway threshold, in an area of vegetated terrain.
The fictitious incident was detected by the Control Tower, which immediately activated the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (SSEI). From that moment on, the Main Command Post (PMP), the Crisis Room and the Advanced Command Post (PMA) were activated, coordinating the intervention of all teams to ensure a rapid and orderly evacuation of those affected.
Broad institutional coordination
Members of the Civil Guard, National Police, Private Security, Local Police of Sant Josep and Local Police of Ibiza, as well as personnel from Aena, handling companies and airlines, Control Tower, 112, the General Directorate of Emergencies, the Insular Directorate of the General Administration of the State, 061, Can Misses Hospital, Grupo Policlínica and the firefighters of the Consell de Ibiza participated in the drill.
All of them worked together to evaluate the procedures established in the Airport’s Integral Self-Protection Plan, check its effectiveness and measure the level of coordination and knowledge among the different agencies that would intervene in a real air emergency.
A plan to minimize the effects of an accident
Aena reminded that all the airports in the network have an Integral Self-Protection Plan, whose objective is to minimize the consequences of an air accident or any other incident, guaranteeing rapid attention to the people affected and at the same time reducing the impact on airport operations and facilities.
In the case of Ibiza, this type of simulation is of particular importance due to the insular and strategic condition of the airport, which is an essential infrastructure for the connectivity and operation of the island throughout the year.
