GACL gears up for simulation exercise

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is feverishly preparing for yet another emergency simulation exercise on Saturday July 30 2016.

The exercise will be held at the approach area of runway 21 (Spintex road area) of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

According to the company, the exercise dubbed “ABRONOMA 2016” will take the form of a simulation of an aircraft incident and the subsequent response by the various agencies which make up the Emergency Operations Control Group.

Communication from the company stated that the exercise would affect portions of the Tema Motorway, Spintex and East Legon Police Station roads and will test the Airport’s readiness to handle aircraft emergencies.

It will be observed by a team of foreign experts from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Airports Council International (ACI).

The GACL explained that “there will be minimal interruptions to airport operations during the period of the exercise,” adding that “management of Ghana Airports Company Limited apologizes for any inconvenience caused and kindly solicits the co-operation of the general public in making the exercise a success.”

The simulation exercise is in line with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Regulations, “which enjoins Ghana to conduct a full-scale emergency exercise at least every two years to evaluate the State’s preparedness in handling emergencies at the airport.”

The information further said, an Exercise Planning Team (EPT) made up of representatives of the Ghana Army, Ghana Airforce, 37 Military Hospital, Ghana Police Service, the Airlines Operators Committee, Ghana National Fire Service, National Disaster Management Committee, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the Ghana Airports Company Limited had been mandated to develop the exercise scenario and direct the conduct the exercise.

Similar exercises held in the past include “Aerostorm – simulation of an air crash at the threshold of the runway, 2002”, “Exercise Okore – simulation of a hijacking of a commercial aircraft, 2004”, “Exercise Ogboole – simulation of an aircrash at sea, 2007” and “Exercise Pataku – simulation of a bomb threat in the terminal building, 2011”.

“PANDEX OBAATANPA” conducted in 2013 simulated a passenger suspected to have contracted an infectious communicable disease on board an aircraft arriving in the country.