Kangra Airport Conducts Comprehensive Emergency Mock Drill to Enhance Safety Protocols

Emergency Mock Exercise at Kangra Airport
Vikal Sharma
Kangra: On Saturday, Kangra Airport successfully executed a large-scale emergency mock drill. The primary aim of this exercise was to assess the effectiveness of the Aerodrome Emergency Plan (AEP) and improve coordination among various emergency response teams, as stated by airport officials.
In the simulated scenario, a flight from Delhi to Gaggal (VTABC, Q400 type) reported a failure in its starboard engine at 1515 hours and requested priority for landing. The aircraft was carrying 71 individuals. While approaching Runway 33, the aircraft declared a 'May Day' and subsequently crashed near the Manjhi River.
Upon receiving the distress call, Air Traffic Control (ATC) declared a full emergency and notified all relevant agencies. Fire trucks, ambulances, medical personnel, and the State Disaster Management team quickly arrived at the crash site. Injured passengers received immediate first aid and were transported to hospitals, while some casualties were sent for DNA profiling for identification.
The drill was overseen by Airport Director Dhirendra Singh, SDM Ishant Jaswal, DySP Ankit Sharma, along with officials from the State Fire Department, local hospitals, and the disaster response team. The coordination and response from all departments were timely and effective.
The exercise was designed to bolster preparedness and ensure a swift response during real emergencies.
This mock drill was conducted in light of the recent Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
Additionally, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) carried out a similar mock drill at Chennai International Airport on the same day to evaluate emergency readiness for a potential aircraft accident.
“This mock exercise is a standard procedure that airports follow as part of their Airport Emergency Plan. Typically, we conduct these drills at the airport. This is the first instance we are doing it externally, as we aimed to evaluate the readiness of state authorities following the incident in Ahmedabad,” stated CV Deepak, Airport Director of Chennai International Airport.
“We will gather feedback from independent observers and address any identified gaps… Approximately 300 individuals participated, including around 55 acting as passengers on the aircraft,” he added. On June 12, a London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a hostel complex of BJ Medical College in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The DNA samples of 251 victims from the Air India crash have been identified. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Lab in New Delhi is currently working diligently to analyze data retrieved from the flight's black boxes.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was successfully recovered, and on June 25, 2025, the memory module was accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab. Sources familiar with the investigation indicated that a similar black box, known as a 'golden chassis,' was utilized to verify the accuracy of the data recovery from the black boxes. One black box was retrieved from the rooftop of a building at the crash site on June 13, while the other was found in the debris on June 16.