HK Airport holds annual crash drill to test emergency readiness

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) held its annual aircraft crash and rescue exercise on Tuesday morning to test the airport’s ability to handle a scenario involving an aircraft incident.

The exercise started at around 2.15am when a simulated departure flight with 120 passengers aborted takeoff on the Centre Runway, due to an urgent report from the cabin crew regarding smoke emitting from a power bank, under a passenger’s seat.

The simulated aircraft's tire burst when it was braking and it veered off the runway. Its landing gear collapsed and then caught fire, prompting Air Traffic Control Tower personnel to immediately activate the crash alarm. 

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) activated the Airport Emergency Centre to facilitate coordination and communication among various government departments, airport communities and organizations.

Emergency services, including the Fire Services Department and the Hong Kong Police Force, promptly arrived at the incident site to carry out firefighting and rescue, render medical care, convey the casualties, and provide other support.

Steven Yiu Siu-chung, Executive Director of Airport Operations at AAHK, stressed that safety has always been the top priority at HKIA.

“As airport traffic and passenger volumes continue to grow, the exercise provided an essential opportunity for the airport community to assess and enhance its preparedness for contingencies and crisis management,” he added.

Over 1,000 representatives from approximately 20 organizations and government departments joined the exercise, with Greater Bay Airlines as the participating airline. 

Around 400 volunteers also role-played as passengers and families of the affected passengers.