On Saturday 18 November, a fictitious helicopter crash at 12:30 pm was the start of a 4-hour emergency drill at Brussels Airport.
Every two years, the Contingency team of Brussels Airport, in consultation with all parties concerned, organises a full-scale emergency exercise to test emergency and safety procedures in a realistic setting. Such emergency exercises are part of the certification requirements of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which every international EU airport must comply with.
The scenario
Saturday’s scenario was about a military helicopter getting into trouble and crashing. In the process, the helicopter hits the tail of a taxiing plane of the fictitious airline Munair. Both aircraft catch fire. Several passengers are seriously injured in the accident and a few people get killed. The provincial emergency and intervention plan is activated, after which the governor coordinates further actions.
450 participants
Several internal and external intervention services took part in the exercise, including fire brigades and medical emergency services, the federal police, the public prosecutor's office, the defence ministry, the competent authorities and the emergency planning department of Flemish Brabant. In total, including simulants and extras, some 450 participants took part.
To make this scenario as realistic as possible, most actions were simulated live using a training aircraft and helicopter wreckage, among others.
A big shout out to all participants!
Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative, which made it extra tough for the participants on the tarmac. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part in the exercise! Your commitment and motivation were decisive for its success.