KUCHING: An aircraft of Brotherhood Airlines A320-300 flight number XX1234 with the registration number 9M-KLMU carrying 114 passengers and 6 flight crews skidded and crashed at grid map echo 13 through Runway 25 at Kuching International Airport (KIA) here yesterday.
The aircraft from Penang was landing at the airport when it skidded and crashed at around 10am.
Seven fire engines including three fire tenders with 11 fire personnel and officers were dispatched to the scene and managed to control the fire within 15 minutes.
Rescue operations were immediately carried out and at least 52 victims were found near the crash site with injuries and broken limbs.
However, the above scenario was an exercise with the re-enactment of an air crash involving more than 800 personnel including the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), Ministry of Health (MOH), Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM), Ministry of Transport (MOT), Royal Malaysia Customs Department (KDRM), Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM), Malaysian Red Crescent, Royal Malaysian Air Force Fire Service, St. John Ambulance and Malindo Air.
Manager of KIA, Jun Iskander Murshidi said that the Airport Fire and Rescue Services (AFRS) of 3 fire tenders with the strength of 11 personnel including one officer immediately responded to contain the fire of the affected aircraft when prompted by the Air Traffic Controller Tower (ATC) at around 10.10am.
Malaysia Airports’ Aviation Security (AVSEC) arrived at the location with three officers and 10 AVSEC assistants for immediate assistance before the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) arrived at 10.15am.
The full-scale exercise was the fourth for the organisation this year, with the previous one held at Kota Kinabalu International Airport just two weeks ago.
The exercise is the best way in ensuring the airport’s readiness in facing disasters as real-life reenactment of the situation involved, would further evaluate the effectiveness of the organisation’s current Airport Emergency Plan (AEP). The AEP is a documentation that encompasses contingency plans to achieve the coordinated actions through the defined guidelines of the general functions and responsibilities of the operational units at the airport, government agencies and airlines in the event of an airport emergency.
The Acting Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin said, “As at September 2018, Kuching International Airport has registered four million passengers, which is a 7.9 per cent increase for the same period last year.
“With the numbers climbing every year, organising a full-scale exercise this time around is timely as it is important to ensure all parties are well-equipped and trained to deal with a crisis.
“Through thorough practice, we hope that the actions by relevant parties are consistent as well as carried out in a safe and concerted manner.
“The coordination of responsibilities and communication between agencies should also be tested for further improvement.
“In fact, prior to the full-scale exercise, all mentioned agencies convened in a table-top exercise to align various Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).”
The exercise was also carried out in compliance with the requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and CAAM for all airports in Malaysia to conduct a full-scale disaster practice once every two years.
Apart from the exercise, the airports are also required to conduct an annual Fire Evacuation Exercise at the terminal building.
