The scale and complexity of the 2019 emergency simulation was “carefully crafted” to “examine and test any weakness” in the airline’s emergency plan in the event of a situation developing at a setting that has limited infrastructure and may be difficult to access.
The emergency exercise involved activation of more than 300 employees and deployment of a number of the airline’s key crisis elements, including the Qatar Airways crisis command centre, the local control centre at the accident location and the humanitarian assistance and media centres.
The use of crisis management platform, together with simulated television news broadcasts and social media reports of the emergency were created to give the activity an additional aspect of realism and immediacy.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar al-Baker said, “This year’s emergency simulation aimed to challenge our employees to respond to an incident that might take place in a challenging location. Our staff responded with the upmost professionalism and sense of duty, reflecting our high standards of safety and security at Qatar Airways.
“I would like to thank all the various regulatory government agencies, stakeholders, partners, volunteers and our employees for coordinating and delivering this year’s complex, yet successful, simulated emergency exercise.”
Qatar Airways’ emergency management programme includes a Corporate Emergency Response Plan; an automated Crisis Management and Casualty Tracking System; a dedicated Group Emergency Control Centre; Group Emergency Management Team; Emergency Telephone Enquiry Centre; Special Assistance Centre; an Emergency Website; a Media Enquiry Centre; a Media Operations Centre and a Deployed Response Group that includes Special Assistance Team Members (Humanitarian Support Programme).
If activated, the Deployed Response Group would be dispatched to the emergency site using a dedicated relief aircraft to provide additional support to local staff, responding agencies and authorities on the ground.