This Wednesday, November 27, between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., the air contingency and emergency drill Athenea 2024 was conducted at José María Córdova International Airport, located in Rionegro, serving Medellín. During this exercise, air operations continued without interruption, as reported by the Civil Aviation Authority.
The main objective of the exercise was to evaluate the response capacity of the participating entities in a critical scenario, which on this occasion simulated the hijacking of an Airbus A320 with 50 passengers on board. This event allowed for the measurement of the effectiveness of emergency procedures, reaction times, and the functionality of the teams and resources involved. In the scenario, an A320 aircraft requested a pushback and engine start, but during taxiing to the holding point, two individuals simulated a hijacking. The captain notified the control tower that the aircraft was being held, which activated the emergency protocol of the Airport Operations Coordination Center (CECOA).
The Airport Police coordinated the cordoning off of the area, while negotiators attempted to establish contact with the hijackers. However, the drill included an escalation of the event, with gunfire inside the aircraft, intervention by the Air Force special group, and a fire caused by an explosion in the aircraft’s cargo hold. Firefighters handled the fire and evacuated the injured.
The drill involved the participation of airport firefighters, the Air Force, the Airport Police, Airport Medical Services, and external personnel such as the BRAC group and the municipal firefighters from Rionegro. The entire exercise was supervised by the Emergency Operations Center (COE), which led the actions to ensure an effective and coordinated response.
The «Athenea 2024» drill was part of a broader strategy for preparedness in the face of air emergencies in Colombia. A recent example is the drill conducted on August 31 at Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín, where an air accident was simulated due to a runway excursion involving a Jetstream 32 from the airline Moon Flights.
On that occasion, the emergency involved a brake system failure that caused the collapse of the right main landing gear, followed by an explosion and the projection of components. The exercise included the activation of the Firefighting Service (SEI) and coordination between the control tower, CECOA, and emergency teams to manage the situation and ensure subsequent safety with a foreign object debris sweep on the runway.
Comprehensive preparation for air safety
Both exercises highlight the importance of conducting realistic and well-planned drills to strengthen airports’ operational preparedness. These activities not only allow for the evaluation of the effectiveness of emergency procedures, but also foster inter-institutional collaboration, a key factor in maintaining safe environments in aviation.
With drills such as «Athenea 2024» and the one held at Olaya Herrera, the Colombian aviation industry demonstrates continuous improvement in the management of air emergencies.
