On November 5, 2024, a comprehensive emergency exercise took place at Ostend-Bruges Airport in Belgium, with over 100 people taking part.
The aim of the exercise was to test the emergency plans and cooperation between the airport, the city administration and the rescue services. The scenario simulated a serious accident in which a bus carrying eight people collided with a tanker truck on the airside of the airport. The accident resulted in a fire with heavy smoke development, with the smoke visible for miles. According to the simulation, three people were killed, while four others were trapped in the bus.
A multidisciplinary coordination team, consisting of firefighters, police, medical services and airport staff, took care of rescuing the injured, fighting the fire and evacuating them. The city of Ostend declared a municipal state of emergency, with the mayor setting up a crisis team to monitor the consequences. The airport's managing director, Bruno De Saegher, stressed the importance of such exercises in order to be well prepared in the event of an emergency and to test existing emergency plans under real conditions. Governor Carl Decaluwé also emphasized the importance of the exercise and praised the cooperation of all those involved.
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