Press release

EASA emergency exercise at BER Airport
Airport company and district rehearse an emergency

An emergency exercise is being conducted today, Tuesday, 8 October 2024, at Berlin Brandenburg Airport. The airport company is rehearsing for an emergency in conjunction with the fire service and the district of Dahme-Spreewald. The exercise does not pose any danger to travellers or the general public and flight operations at BER are not affected.

This year’s full scale Ikarus exercise entails the following scenario: The pilot of an approaching aircraft reports control problems to the tower. Based on emergency procedures in place at the airport, an “Air emergency” will be declared and the fire service and operational services will be placed on standby. As part of the exercise scenario, the aircraft crashes outside the airport grounds. The emergency services are directed to the scene of the accident, where extinguishing and rescue work is performed. At the same time, passengers who have witnessed the accident and immediate relatives are being looked after in the terminal. The objectives of the exercise are to rescue and recover the injured and dead, provide technical assistance and ensure that the internal and external emergency services work together on site and in the crisis management team.

“Today we are rehearsing an emergency at Berlin Brandenburg Airport to prepare our employees and executives as well as possible for an emergency situation. Fortunately, emergencies such as the scenario of today’s exercise are extremely rare. This makes it all the more important that we practice cooperation among all involved airport parties and in the district as realistically as possible every two years as part of an EASA emergency exercise. This is how we ensure that we are well prepared even in an emergency,” says Dr. Chehab Salih, Head of Safety at Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH.

The Ikarus emergency exercise is a so-called “full-scale exercise” in accordance with the guidelines of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It is usually conducted every two years.

The airport company’s emergency management, airport security, airport fire service, and traffic and terminal management use the exercise with the German federal police and the district of Dahme-Spreewald to review the emergency processes in place at the airport. In total, 200 emergency services staff and about 80 extras took part.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requires that regular emergency drills are conducted at all commercial airports, which are certified by the relevant aviation authority in line with EASA requirements.