Picture courtesy of Kaoded 

 

Suvarnabhumi Airport has conducted its annual Business Continuity Plan (BCP) exercise for 2025, simulating an earthquake scenario to ensure operational readiness and passenger safety.

 

The Table Top Exercise, held at the airport’s administration building, was inaugurated by Mr. Adisak Thulsungnoen, Deputy Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport (Operations 1) and Ms. Jananya Siripani, Director of the Air Traffic Control Centre Management Department at the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd (AEROTHAI). The exercise involved airport personnel and key stakeholders to reinforce roles, responsibilities and coordination in responding to emergencies.

 

Participants included representatives from AEROTHAI, Immigration Division 2, Customs, the Bangkok Aviation Business Committee, Thai Airways International, Bangkok Aviation Fuel Services and other relevant agencies.

 

During the exercise, a hypothetical earthquake scenario was assumed, causing slight cracking of the control tower windows at AEROTHAI’s 132-metre high building. Some sections of the runway were damaged, though passenger terminals, boarding gates and other buildings remained unaffected. In response, the airport activated its emergency plan under Chapter 6 – Natural Disasters (Earthquake) and temporarily relocated air traffic operations to the East and West Apron Towers to ensure personnel safety. Recovery operations for the damaged runway were simulated to restore services promptly and in compliance with international safety standards, from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

 

 

Suvarnabhumi Airport emphasised the importance of annual BCP exercises to build confidence among passengers and service users, promote inter-agency cooperation and ensure that all departments adhere to standard procedures to restore normal operations as quickly as possible following any incident.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Kaoded 2025-08-30

 

 

 

If only Heathrow had similar preparation.