The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Tuesday enhanced its security with a full-scale exercise in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization-Standards and Recommended Practices (ICAO-SARPS).
The MIAA, the operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), said it hosted the Full-Scale Security Exercise (FSSE-2023) held at the NAIA Terminal 2 departure check-in hall.
The exercise evaluates and strengthens the airport's response to unlawful interference emergencies. Such occurrences pose a significant threat not only to aircraft but also to passengers and other airport users.
Protecting airports
The Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Unit (PNP-AVSEU) is also involved in this year's exercise. Their mandate includes protecting airports in the country from offensive and terroristic acts that threaten civil aviation.
According to the ICAO-SARPS mandate, airport operators are encouraged to regularly conduct emergency exercises to assess the effectiveness of their contingency plans and review established procedures outlined in their Airport Emergency Plans (AEP). This ensures that the plans can be updated to mitigate potential risks adequately.
The airport authority added that the biennial security crisis exercises carried out by airport operators fulfill the requirments of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP), which serves as the authoritative source for security policies, rules and regulations in Philippine civil aviation.
These exercises covered simulating emergency plan number 8 (airport bombing or explosion) and emergency plan number 9 (active shooting or similar incidents) outlined in the MIAA Airport Emergency Plan.
The exercise focused on an active shooting incident that could escalate into a bombing situation, resulting in multiple casualties and injuries to airport users.
Nothing disrupted
Additionally, the airport authority mentioned, the Airport Police Department acted as the secondary responder, while other security and non-security units within the NAIA served as a support group. The primary objective of the exercise was to restore airport operations promptly.
Compared to the previous FSSE conducted in 2021, which focused on a disgruntled employee armed with an improvised explosive device (IED), this year's exercise featured an increased number of mock suspects. The realistic scenario challenged response teams to effectively handle a dangerous situation within the Terminal's configuration.
"Following the successful staging of the Crash Rescue Exercise (CREX 2023) last August, we are committed to continually enhacing our capabilities and contingency plans to adapt to the evolving nature of airport incidents," said Bryan Co, MIAA officer-in-charge.
There were no flight and airport operations disrupted during the exercise.
Also present at the exercises were PNP-AVSEGROUP Gen. Jack Wanky, Office for Transportation Security (OTS) OIC Jose Briones Jr., airline representatives, and other government and non-government security officials.
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