A large-scale emergency exercise was conducted at Graz Airport as part of a regular schedule to test emergency planning and the interaction of security agencies under realistic conditions.
While international standards mandate aircraft accident drills every two years, those responsible in Graz chose a scenario this time that went beyond classic technical malfunctions. The focus was on the landing of an aircraft carrying highly infectious patients. A total of around 200 emergency personnel from the professional fire brigade, the Red Cross, the police, and various other authorities participated in the simulated emergency to ensure the efficiency of the alarm systems and the protection of the population.
The complex scenario involved a medical emergency landing for an Avantiair Dash 8-Q400, which was evacuating a research team from an Ebola outbreak area in Central Africa. During the flight, the condition of two passengers deteriorated rapidly, necessitating a diversion to Graz. After landing in the early afternoon, the "Infection Threat Situation" emergency plan was activated. This involved utilizing specialized facilities such as the emergency infection gate and the airport's new emergency information center. A key focus was on collecting data from fellow passengers and ensuring the correct use of personal protective equipment and decontamination stations by the specialist teams.
The exercise was primarily designed to optimize communication between airport management, the Graz-Umgebung district administration, and the medical departments of the city of Graz. Jürgen Löschnig, Managing Director of Graz Airport, emphasized the importance of coordinating responsibilities in biological hazard situations, as these differ fundamentally from technical emergency scenarios. The Red Cross deployed a high-risk infectious disease transport team to practice handling isolation units and incubators under time pressure. External observers from the Ministry of the Interior monitored the process to identify weaknesses in the official alert chain.
Additional insights were gained from the involvement of the Styrian Crisis Intervention Team, which was responsible for the psychological support of the uninjured but isolated passengers. The successful execution of the exercise confirmed the functionality of the recently modernized command center facilities. The results of the evaluation will now be directly incorporated into future emergency planning to further solidify Graz's position as a safe hub for international air traffic. The cooperation with the airline Avantiair enabled a particularly realistic simulation directly on the aircraft.