Bahrain International Airport

Successful outcome for Bahrain International Airport 14thFull-Scale Emergency Exercise

Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) the managing body and operator of Bahrain International Airport (BIA)applauded the efforts of the airport rescue and emergency teams and all involved parties following the efficient and smooth running of the BIA 14th Full-Scale Emergency Exercise, which came to a successful close earlier today.

BIA hosts a full-scale emergency drill every two years in accordance with the regulations issued by Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs andglobal industry procedures enforced by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The purpose of this exercise is to put the Airport Emergency Plan to the test and assess the capabilities, readiness and effectiveness of BIA’s emergency and rescue services in dealing with any unfortunate incidents.

This year, the emergency scenario involved an Airbus A320 that was forced to make a belly landing due to a hydraulic failure, causing it to crash and veer off the runway, erupting into flames. Actors played the part of passengers, some seriously injured and others trapped inside the burning plane. The full-scale emergency alert was activated and called for co-ordinated action from Bahrain Airport Company, Civil Aviation Affairs, Ministry of Transportation, Gulf Air, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Information and Ministry of Defense,along with other key stakeholders. All parties joined force to tackle the mock crisis simulation which resulted in a highly successful outcome.

Commenting on the BIA 2014 Full Scale Emergency Exercise, Mr. Mohamed Yousif AlBinfalah, Chief Executive Officer of BACthanked BIA operators, partners and government authorities for uniting their efforts, capabilities and resources and rising to the challenge with focus, precision, speed and efficiency.

Mr. Al Binfalah added “We are proud to report that Bahrain International Airport has proven yet again that the airport community is well prepared to handle any unfortunate disaster scenario that may occur; this stands testament to the unity and binding collaboration between BIA and its partners whose efforts were integral in accomplishingthis important task”.

Mr. Al Binfalah also explained that “thebi-annual exercise is of great importance toBahrain International Airport; the real-life practice scenarios enable us to assess the effectivenessand adequacy of BIA’s airport emergency plansto cope with different crisis scenarios that may occur. The drills put our readiness to the test and help us to improve the safetyprocessesat the airport in line with global aviation standards, furthering our position as a safe, secure andefficient airport”.

The public were informed well in advance of the emergency exerciseso as not to be concerned about the situation and steps which were being taken to ensure BIA operations, aircraft and passenger movement was not affected.

Directly following the emergency exercise, media representatives gathered at the airportfor a debrief on the outcome and result. The briefing was led by BAC Chief Executive Officer,Mr. Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, andBAC Chief Airport Operating Officer Mr Mohamed Thamir Al Kaabi.

BAC is the authority responsible for enhancing BIA and increasing the airport’s contribution to the local economy in line with Bahrain’s Economic Vision.  In its operational role, BAC is responsible for elevating the airport’s operations, infrastructure and services. This is set to improve BIA’s capabilities and cater to the growing number of passengers as well as the changing demands of stakeholders.