Chennai Airport conducts mock drill to test emergency response

CHENNAI: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) conducted a mock drill at Chennai International Airport on Saturday to assess emergency preparedness for a potential plane crash. The exercise followed the recent Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

“This mock exercise drill is a standard practice that airports undertake as part of their Airport Emergency Plan. Usually, we do it at the airport. This is the first time we are doing it outside, as we wanted to assess the preparedness of state authorities following what happened in Ahmedabad,” Airport Director of Airports Authority of India, Chennai International Airport, CV Deepak, said.

“We will now hear from independent observers and fill the gaps accordingly… Approximately 300 people participated. Around 55 people participated as passengers onboard the aircraft,” he added.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Airports Authority of India, Chennai International Airport, conducts a mock drill to asses emergency preparedness in case of a plane crash in the aftermath of the Air India Plane Crash in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/86qeCPQUGT

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2025

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 Gujarat’s Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. All 241 people on board, except one, were killed in the crash.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Lab in New Delhi is currently working intensively to examine data retrieved from the black boxes of the flight.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Airport Director of Airports Authority of India, Chennai International Airport, CV Deepak, says, “This mock exercise drill is a standard practice that airports undertake as part of their Airport Emergency Plan. Usually, we do it at the airport. This… pic.twitter.com/C8jkBYzkFj

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2025

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on June 25, 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab. Sources familiar with the process told ANI that an identical black box, referred to as a “golden chassis,” was used to confirm whether data could be accurately recovered from the black boxes. One black box was recovered from the rooftop of a building at the crash site on June 13, and the other from the debris on June 16.

The investigation is being led by AAIB officials and includes technical members from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from the United States, which is the official investigative agency of the country of the aircraft’s design and manufacture. The Director General of AAIB is heading the probe. An aviation medicine expert and an Air Traffic Control officer have also been included in the investigation team. Sources confirmed that the NTSB team is currently stationed in Delhi and working closely with Indian authorities at the AAIB Lab. Officials from Boeing and GE are also present in the national capital to assist with the technical process. (ANI)