Preparing for the unexpected

While major incidents at airports are incredibly rare, being prepared is essential.

On September 9, Sydney Airport hosted its biennial emergency exercise, bringing together airport teams, emergency services and government agencies to practise how they would respond during a complex aviation emergency.

Months in the making, the large-scale exercise tested emergency procedures, communications and coordination across multiple agencies in a realistic airport environment.

While Sydney Airport and our partners regularly conduct safety training and exercises across the precinct, this major airport-wide emergency exercise is held every two years.

A realistic emergency scenario

The exercise simulated an inbound domestic aircraft declaring a MAYDAY following a suspected engine fire.

After making an emergency landing, a simulated explosion triggered a coordinated emergency response involving aircraft firefighting, passenger evacuation, casualty care and welfare support for passengers.

The scenario gave participating agencies an opportunity to rehearse their response arrangements and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Working together when it matters most

More than 250 personnel from 11 organisations took part in the exercise, including Sydney Airport, NSW Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Ambulance, NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and Airservices Australia.

Together they tested a range of response capabilities, including:

• Aircraft firefighting
• Passenger evacuation
• Rescue and retrieval operations
• Casualty triage and treatment
• Emergency communications
• Multi-agency incident management

Safety is our highest priority

Sydney Airport Chief Executive Officer Scott Charlton said exercises like this play an important role in ensuring agencies are ready to respond should an emergency occur.

"Safety is our highest priority, and exercises like this play an important role in ensuring we are prepared, coordinated and ready to respond in the event of an emergency.

"Conducted every two years, these exercises bring together airports, emergency services and government agencies to test plans, strengthen coordination and ensure we can respond effectively in a complex operating environment.

"This exercise demonstrates the value of planning, collaboration and continuous improvement. It provided an opportunity to validate our emergency arrangements, learn from one another and continually refine how we work together in a coordinated response.

"I'd like to thank all participating agencies for their professionalism, partnership and ongoing commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the travelling public."

Learning through training

For emergency services agencies, exercises like this provide valuable opportunities to test skills, strengthen partnerships and improve readiness.

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Kirsty Schofield said:

"The role of the AFP at Sydney Airport is to protect Australians and travelling community and respond to critical incidents.

"This exercise provides our members with a valuable real-world scenario to further our preparedness to respond to critical incidents, alongside our aviation and emergency services partners.

"While we hope to never be confronted with the situations presented with this exercise, I am confident that the AFP and our partners will be ready to respond should the need arise."

NSW Police Central Metropolitan Region Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Greg Moore said:

"The NSW Police Force is proud to participate in this multi-agency exercise, which provides a valuable opportunity to test our command, control and coordination arrangements in a realistic environment.

"The lessons identified today will further enhance our preparedness and strengthen our ability to work seamlessly with partner agencies during major emergencies."

NSW Ambulance Acting Chief Superintendent Stewart Clarke said:

"Exercises like today’s are critical to ensuring NSW Ambulance and our emergency service partners can respond seamlessly to major incidents, strengthening our preparedness and ultimately delivering the best possible outcomes for the community.”

Ready when needed

While this major exercise is held every two years, Sydney Airport and our partners regularly conduct training and smaller scale exercises that mean the airport and emergency services remain ready to respond quickly, safely and effectively whenever they are needed.