'Smoke in the cockpit': Mock drill held at Pune airport to test preparedness

A full-scale emergency mock drill was conducted at the Pune airport on Saturday, simulating "smoke in the cockpit" of a dummy aircraft, officials said.

The activity was held as per the guidelines of the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, to evaluate the preparedness, response coordination, and operational efficiency of all stakeholders in handling a real-time aviation emergency scenario, they said.

Nearly 330 personnel from various agencies took part in the mock drill at the Pune airport, said an official release.


The simulated situation involved the detection of "smoke in the cockpit" of a dummy incoming aircraft and the activation of the Airport Emergency Plan, it said.

Following an alert, firefighting units from the Indian Air Force, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting services, along with fire brigades from civic bodies from Pune and nearby areas, responded to the scenes. "Survivors" were guided to reception centres for further care and support, it said.

During the post-drill debriefing, observations and recommendations were shared by independent evaluators with the participating teams, the release added.