Mumbai. 17 September 2022. ’Passenger Safety is of Utmost Importance’, confirms Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) with its simulated, emergency-response, mock drill organised at the airport. It was conducted at terminal 2 (T2) wherein the airport received an intimation about a bomb threat during the afternoon hours. Conducted as a surprise drill, it tested not only the airport’s disaster response system, but also its calm coordination to avert the crisis. The drill started at 1:02PM and concluded at 1:37PM on September 17, 2022.The drill included participation of CSMIA’s multiple internal and external stakeholders.
CSMIA organizes emergency mock drills on time-to-time basis to assess the alertness, efficiency & preparedness of the airport staff, which was successfully evaluated today. Simulated exercise is also a part of the efforts to improve the safety measures which are highly critical in cases of a threat to the life of passengers & employees. However, with the support from CSMIA’s internal & external stakeholders, the drill was successfully conducted without causing any inconvenience to passengers and airport operations. The overall activity was performed with passengers’ & employees’ safety in mind, and with sincere efforts. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization and DGCA regulations, it is a requirement for all airports and airlines globally to conduct a Full-scale Aerodrome Emergency Exercise once every two years.
The exercise began with an intimation call simulated as bomb threat at 1:02PM. As an immediate response, a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee was convened as per protocol.
In accordance with the standard operating procedure, terminal evacuation was declared for the airport security group to carry on with further proceedings. The Terminal operations team, CISF Team along with marshals were available to guide passengers towards the safe assembly areas. After successful assessments and checks, the terminal was declared safe from all threats by the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee and the drill was called off at 1:37PM. All the passengers were provided with refreshments and comfortable seating arrangements.
Speaking on the surprise mock drill, CSMIA’s spokesperson said, “Mumbai airport takes the safety of its passengers and staff very seriously. The mock-drill is a very important exercise to keep our disaster management systems updated and on point. While we are very pleased with the level of alertness and response protocols followed, we are constantly striving to make our teams better. With the airport looking at digital transformations of a whole new level, we expect to bring down our response times even further. It’s a key step in maintaining our position as one of the best airports on the country.”
Officials from various agencies of the airport and airlines were deployed as observers to critically evaluate the response by various agencies and airport’s readiness to combat emergencies in real time. For CSMIA, passenger & employees’ wellbeing is foremost, and the airport will continue to initiate mock exercises to constantly improve the safety & security standards. CSMIA regrets any inconvenience caused to its passengers.
