New runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport sparks emergency drill

[webfact]

Suvarnabhumi International Airport conducted a high-stakes emergency exercise under the codename SENOP-24 on Tuesday, July 23. This drill, aimed at preparing for the grand opening of the airport’s third runway set for mid-September, was designed to ensure every team is battle-ready for any potential crisis.

 

Kittipong Kittikachorn, the Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport and a key figure in Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), oversaw the event. He was flanked by an army of collaborators from various agencies.

The exercise aimed to put the airport’s fire and rescue operations through their paces, making sure they could handle any runway mishap with lightning speed and precision, said Kittipong.

 

“Our third runway will boost our capacity from 68 flights per hour to an impressive 94.

“The airport is revving up for this milestone, with plans to gradually ramp up flight operations. But first, they must ensure every contingency is covered, and that’s where these real-world emergency drills come into play.”

The exercise simulated a terrifying aircraft accident on the new runway, pushing all involved to their limits.

 

Communication lines buzzed, coordination was tested, and response strategies were scrutinised by sharp-eyed observers. Among the critical supporters were AOT executives, Thai Airways, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, and medical teams from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital.

Additionally, representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and AOT’s Aviation Standards and Safety Department were on hand to assess every move, reported Pattaya Mail.

 

In related news, Phuket’s Wichit Municipality conducted a comprehensive tsunami evacuation drill and rescue exercise last Thursday, July 18, aimed at bolstering disaster preparedness in Phuket.

 

Wichit Mayor Kreetha Chotiwichpipat and Mueang Phuket District Chief Worasit Putjeeb led the drill, which involved multiple agencies in a Table Top Exercise (TTX).

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal
Photo courtesy of Pattaya Mail

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-07-26

 

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[Patong2021]

Perhaps some international observers would have helped. ICAO, European, Singapore or Japan safety boards would have brought some credibility considering past issues with  safety at Thai airports.

[Georgealbert]

These types of exercises are regular occurrences and the recent Singapore Airlines turbulence incident, clearly shows that these training and drills are working at Suvarnabhumi.

 

This emergency exercise was observed by CAAT (Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand), which will fully document and record the details for any future audit, and will need to ensure full compliance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) standards, Annex 1, Personnel Licensing, Annex 9 Facilitation, Annex 11 Air Traffic Services, Annex 14 Volume I - Aerodromes,  Annex 17 Security and Annex 19 Safety Management.

 

Thailand is currently due FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) inspection to confirm compliance with international safety standard, to see if the country can be raised back to FAA Category 1 (CAT1) from  Category 2 (CAT2), which has been in place since 2015. Emergency response at airports is not on the list of failings that need addressing.

 

Picture from AOT.

[hotchilli]

I sincerely hope that air traffic control systems and personnel are as ready as the emergency crews are?

[Georgealbert]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

I sincerely hope that air traffic control systems and personnel are as ready as the emergency crews are?

Please what are the concerns about the Thai air traffic control systems?
 

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Thailand downgrade in 2015 was based on three critical areas: airworthiness of aircraft, airman licensing and airline operator requirements

 

Air Traffic Control in the Bangkok FIR (Flight Information Region) is under Aerothai (Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd) and in 2023 it dealt with 718255 commercial flights. 
 

Control is divided into 8 sections (Sectors), which consists of 32 international routes (ATS Air Traffic Services Routes- International), 37 domestic routes (ATS Routes – Domestic), and 26 Area Navigation (RNAV) Routes

 

Sector 1 in the upper southern region of the country

Sector 2, the eastern region and lower northeastern region of the country

Sector 3 in the southeastern part of the country

Sector 4 in the western and lower northern regions of the country

Sector 5, the southern region of the country on the western coast

Sector 6 in the lower southern region of the country on the eastern coast

Sector 7 in the upper northern region of the country

Sector 8 in the upper northeastern region of the country

https://www.aerothai.co.th/sites/default/files/files/document/2023 AEROTHAI Annual Report_ENG_e-book_Final.pdf

Edited July 26 by Georgealbert