Hamad International Airport (HIA) successfully completed its fourth full-scale emergency exercise, ‘Oryx Golf 2019’, conducted recently with participation from over 26 government agencies, partners and stakeholders.
Participants included the following: Qatar Airways Group, Airline Operators Committee – Doha, Airport Customs, Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation Facilities, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Civil Defence Department, National Command Center, Ministry of Transport and Communications, and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.
The emergency exercise was organised by HIA in compliance with the requirements established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). HIA is responsible for ensuring that the Airport Management Systems and Emergency Preparedness meet the requirements of Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) Aerodrome Licensing Standards.
This year’s emergency exercise scenario was conducted differently from previous years. While previous years focused on aviation-specific incidents, this year’s exercise simulated a public health emergency incident at HIA to test its capabilities when dealing with public health emergency incident of international concern, which extended and included the different medical facilities throughout the State of Qatar.
The exercise scenario involved a Qatar Airways inbound flight from a country that has been identified by the World Health Organisation with an Ebola Virus disease outbreak. The said flight declared an emergency an hour before landing at HIA, reporting one sick passenger onboard who showed signs and symptoms of the Ebola Virus disease. The exercise also aimed to measure how well the different stakeholders coordinated together to ensure the implementation of the best crisis management procedures.
Speaking on the successful completion of the emergency exercise, Ian Metsovitis, VP of Operations at HIA said that the accomplishment of the Oryx Golf 2019 exercise was testament to their continued endeavour for operational excellence.
With passengers at the heart of HIA’s strategy, safety and security are central pillars for our airport operations.’
HIA is currently a candidate for the ‘Best Airport in the World’ award by Skytrax, which also classified HIA as a five-star airport in 2017. Results of the Skytrax World Airport Awards will be announced in March 2020. Passengers can vote for HIA by visiting the Official Skytrax World Airport Survey website.
For updates and more information about HIA, visit their website at dohahamadairport.com.