Velana International Airport to conduct full-scale emergency exercise on Wednesday

 Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has announced that a full-scale emergency exercise will be held at the Velana International Airport (VIA) on Wednesday evening. 

In a press conference on Tuesday, MACL’s Deputy CEO Ibrahim Thoha said the exercise was required to be held every two years by the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). 

Thoha said that the purpose of the exercise was to test VIA’s emergency plan and standard operating procedures as well as the emergency plan of the airline that will be taking part in the exercise, and to test the level of coordination between MACL’s departments, government institutions and other relevant institutions. 

He said that the exercise, which will be held in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), will serve to assess the casualty management capacity of emergency responders and health facilities. 

The emergency plans of 30 different institutions will be activated during the exercise. 

“The last-minute preparations for this exercise are now complete. All parties participating in this exercise have conducted information and training sessions,” said Thoha. 

MACL said that some 400 people will take part in the exercise, making it the biggest such exercise in the Maldivian aviation industry. 

Emirates will take part in the exercise as official airline. During the exercise, Emirates will activate its safety operation plan and collaborate with the airport’s emergency services. 

It will mark the first time for an international airline to take part in an emergency exercise in Maldives.