PRESS RELEASES
27 MARCH 2002
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EMERGENCY EXERCISE ON MARCH 27, 2002

In compliance with international regulations of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), all airports are organizing emergency exercises on an annual basis. The aim of such exercises is to test and improve the emergency procedures of all participants. The annual emergency exercise of "Athens International Airport S.A." for the year 2002 will be a Partial Emergency Exercise, in which the following organizations will participate:

  • Athens International Airport S.A.
  • Olympic Airways
  • Ground Handling Agents
  • Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority / Air Traffic Control
  • Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority / Aviation Authority
  • Airport Hellenic Police
  • National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAV)
  • Airport Service of Emergency Medical Care
  • Civil Protection (Prefecture of East Attica / Civil Protection)
  • Greek Atomic Energy Commission

Please find below the SCENARIO of AIA's partial emergency exercise for the year 2002:

"EMERGENCY LANDING" EXERCISE SCENARIO

According to the scenario, on Wednesday, March 27th, 2002 at 09:40, the Air Traffic Controller activates the crash alarm-declaring emergency.

A flight departed from a European airport to a Greek island having 7 crewmembers and 59 passengers on board, including 2 wheelchair-passengers. According to the scenario, flying north of a Greek Island at 23,000 ft a cracked deck windshield is reported. The Pilot declares emergency priority landing to "Eleftherios Venizelos" as the nearest accessible airport. Due to the cracked windshield, visibility from the cockpit is extremely limited, the scenario describes.

The scenario continues that the aircraft approaches Runway 03L. After touchdown on Runway 03L, the aircraft applied full breaking power and reverse thrust. Abeam A5 link and due to the extreme heat of the brake assembly, main gear tires go flat, the left main gear catches fire and fumes are observed, the scenario says.

According to the scenario, during landing, 4 passengers were seriously injured (one of them fatal) and one flight attendant, who is not able to carry out her evacuation duties.

The scenario defines that the aircraft comes to a halt abeam of A10 link. The pilot declares evacuation on the runway using the exits of the right side. The fire department uses foam (on the runway pavement under the aircraft), for the prevention of fire due to the leaking fuel. Survivors inform the rescue teams that several passengers inside the aircraft have been incapacitated from the development of toxic fumes and could not escape from the aircraft. The scenario ends.

Such regular exercises are important to assure the high training level of all involved parties in order to be prepared for the case of a real accident, which is highly unlikely to occur, as, according to all international statistics, flying is the safest way of transportation and traveling.