Major fire drill conducted in Mumbai airport

Mumbai: As part of its emergency preparedness and response, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) orchestrated a meticulously planned Full Scale Aircraft Emergency Exercise (FSAEE).

During the exercise on Wednesday, codenamed Black Panther, a medium-sized aircraft model was used as a mock-up aircraft that overshot the runway leading to a crisis scenario. 

“The FSAEE is a biennial exercise which was previously conducted in 2019 and 2021. It tests the resilience of participating agencies and allows stakeholders to understand and evaluate their preparedness while maintaining operational continuity,” a CSMIA spokesperson said on Thursday. 

The two-hour long exercise began at 1200 hours and concluded at approximately 1405 hours. 

“The mock exercise was conducted by simulating an aircraft overshooting the runway and its undercarriage catching fire. The simulation tests the preparedness of multiple stakeholders involved to respond to emergencies in real-time and to prevent loss of life and damage to property, while ensuring no disruption to normal operations at CSMIA,” the spokesperson said. 

For the exercise, a medium-sized aircraft model was used as a mock-up aircraft that overshot the runway. The undercarriage of the mock-up aircraft was set ablaze to replicate the plane catching fire. The drill began by the ATC notifying key stakeholders about a fire on the mock-up aircraft.

The exercise involved multiple stakeholders including MIAL, Airlines, Air Traffic Control, CISF, Airport Health Organization, Customs, Immigration, Ground Handling Agencies, Mumbai Police, Mumbai Fire Brigade, Civil Defence, State Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response force, MCGM Disaster Management Cell, Hospitals and Ambulance Services. International Civil Aviation Organization and DGCA regulations mandate that airports conduct a full-scale aircraft emergency exercise once every two years.