On 8 November 2026, emergency services at Heringsdorf Airport on the island of Usedom in the the Vorpommern-Greifswald district completed a large-scale emergency exercise. It was based on a simulated plane crash involving injured passengers and an engine on fire. The local regulatory authority of the district, the fire and disaster protection service and the Heringsdorf Airport GmbH organised the exercise jointly. The Integrated Control Centre of the district's emergency services public utility company alerted the relevant units and coordinated their work at the scene.
According to the district, the exercise involved simulating an aircraft emergency and carrying out standard procedures: rescuing people, providing initial medical care, tackling a fire on the aircraft and setting up a treatment area for multiple casualties. Specialists from relevant agencies observed the response to document strengths and weaknesses. The aim was to assess established procedures and cooperation between fire brigade, ambulance services, the control centre and the airport operator under realistic conditions.
The organisations involved stressed that this was an exercise. According to reports, regular flight operations were maintained as far as possible or adjusted to limit disruption to passengers. The exercise also focused on communications between local responders and higher-level control centres, as well as the availability and appropriate use of specialist equipment for aircraft accidents and firefighting.
Those responsible announced a structured debriefing. The review is intended to produce specific recommendations, for example on improving alert and response plans, coordinating between agencies or making necessary additions to equipment and training. Definitive findings are expected once the analysis is complete; for now, reliable information is available mainly about the scope of the exercise, the institutions involved and the scenario devised.
Transport and regional airports are required to hold regular emergency exercises. These help strengthen cooperation between airport operators, emergency response authorities and aid organisations, and ensure the protection of passengers and staff in a real emergency. For Heringsdorf Airport, which handles seasonal scheduled and charter flights, coordinating operational safety with local emergency response is particularly important. The exercise is intended to check procedures reliably and adjust them where necessary so that a swift, coordinated response can be made in the event of an incident.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).