Ben Gurion International Airport held an emergency drill on Tuesday simulating a mass-casualty plane crash situation.
The exercise, dubbed “Maglan 2016,” tested the implementation of an emergency plan in the case of such an event.
The Israel Airports Authority, Transportation Ministry, Israel Police, Fire and Rescue Services, Magen David Adom paramedics, the IDF Homefront Command and other response organizations all took part in the exercise which took some seven months of preparation.
The drill began at 9:00 am and lasted several hours. No flight disruptions were reported.
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In the simulation, a plane with 178 people on board takes off from Tel Aviv to Amsterdam but has to turn back and make an emergency landing 15 minutes later because of a tire malfunction. While attempting to land at Ben Gurion, the plane crashes.
The drill was open to some 400 spectators, security observers and aviation experts from across the world.
“Ben Gurion Airport operates on a high alert and preparedness level,” said Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz during the drill on Tuesday. “The airport is set to start its busiest summer season ever in terms of passenger traffic at the airport, and the drill concludes [our] preparation.”
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