Santa Cruz de Tenerife 10 Mar. (Europa Press) –
The South Tenerife airport has conducted a comprehensive simulation on Monday as part of its emergency programme, aimed at evaluating its response capability and coordination with external assistance services. This exercise involved a simulated incident with a commercial Embraer aircraft carrying 24 passengers and 5 crew members.
Throughout the year, the aircraft, during its landing manoeuvre, indicated a supposed engine failure, causing it to veer off course and crash outside the airport’s perimeter fence in area E, as reported by Aena in a statement.
Upon identifying the incident, the control tower promptly notified the rescue and firefighting service (SSE) and informed the operations centre, thereby activating the airport’s emergency plan.
In such situations, the primary command post (PMP) and the advanced command post (PMA) are established at the airport, and external resources outlined in the plan are alerted. Since the incident occurred in zone E, the Civil Protection plans of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands were also initiated, placing the emergency command under the auspices of the General Emergency Department of the Canary Islands Government.
Day Summary
The final tally of casualties from this exercise comprised 1 minor or unharmed individual, 8 seriously injured, 10 with severe injuries, and 10 fatalities. Facilities for the minor and unharmed individuals, whether passengers or crew, were activated to accommodate those in stable condition and to provide them with psychological and medical support.
Additionally, assistance procedures for the relatives of passengers and crew were initiated. Once the situation was under control and the area declared safe, the command posts concluded the drill.
In the execution of this exercise, participants included staff from AENA, airport-associated companies, the Canary Islands Government (CECOES-12 and DGE), Government Delegation and Subdelegation, Civil Protection, Tenerife Fire Consortium, Canarian Emergency Service (SUC), Canary Health Service, Red Cross, College of Psychologists, and the Local Police of Granadilla de Abona.
The purpose of this drill is to evaluate the emergency plan, confirm its effectiveness, ensure coordination among all resources, and enhance the readiness of the teams and individuals involved in such scenarios.
Through this exercise, the South Tenerife airport adheres to ICAO regulations (International Civil Aviation Organization) regarding emergency planning, which encompasses all operational procedures and protocols for requesting external and coordinated assistance.
