Amsterdam Airport Schiphol will host a large-scale emergency exercise on Thursday, November 19. Emergency services, crisis management teams and airport partners will train together for a scenario involving a major security incident at the airport.
Taking part are the police, including the Special Interventions Unit (DSI), the fire service, ambulance services, the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the Kennemerland Safety Region, Schiphol, KLM and several other organizations.
What the exercise involves
The drill will take place in the airport’s secure airside area and will focus on an incident involving an aircraft and the area around it. Even though most of the activity will happen behind Schiphol’s perimeter fence, some of it may be visible from public roads.
Throughout the day, residents, drivers and travelers may notice an unusually high number of emergency vehicles around the airport. Specialized police vehicles may also move between locations with blue lights and sirens on. Schiphol stresses that this is all part of the exercise and not a real incident.
Why the drill is happening
A major incident at an airport requires many organizations to respond at once. According to the organizers, regular joint exercises help emergency services and authorities coordinate better, share information more quickly and respond more effectively when a real emergency happens.
Will flights be affected?
The exercise has been planned together with Schiphol, KLM and the emergency services taking part, and the organizers say they are doing everything they can to keep disruption for passengers and airport operations to a minimum. No specific flight changes have been announced. Travelers flying through Schiphol on November 19 should still check their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
