Sharm el-Sheikh Airport carries out large-scale simulation of plane crash

CAIRO - 14 May 2017: A large-scale emergency simulation of a plane crash was carried out in Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport on Friday, local media outlets reported.

The test, attended by Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathi and South Sinai Governor Khalid Fouda, was performed just outside the airport. The simulation was of a plane crash caused by engine malfunctions.

The simulation aims to train all operating bodies in the airport as well as the bodies of the South Sinai Governorate to respond to crises in accordance with the airport’s emergency plan and the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, said Pilot Mohamed Salaam, Head of the Egyptian Company for Airports in a statement.

Salaam also reported that a medical yard was also created beside the accident site by the operating departments at the airport to sort out cases of injuries and move any injured persons to the transit hall.

A press and information center to deliver the first statement of the official spokesman and follow-up developments in case of an accident was also established.

Major General Emad Al-Belasi, director of Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, also noted that the activities of the test were fully supported by all the concerned authorities in the governorate with the help of port security forces.

In October 2015, a Russian airplane carrying 224 passengers crashed in Sinai, resulting in the death of all passengers and crew onboard. The Islamic State subsidiary in the Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the incident.