The planned large-scale exercise at Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia" was successfully completed.

Fraport Greece, the operator of the 14 regional airports in Greece, successfully conducted a planned large-scale emergency exercise at Thessaloniki airport "Makedonia" in collaboration with AEGEAN and all relevant bodies.

During the exercise, in addition to Fraport Greece and AEGEAN executives, all involved bodies, including the Civil Protection, the Hellenic Police, the Fire Brigade, the National Emergency Center, the Health Operations Center of Northern Greece, the Forensic Service of Thessaloniki, the Civil Aviation Authority (A.P.A.), and the airport's ground handling operator and Security Service Provider, participated.

The exercise scenario involved a fire in an aircraft engine during taxiing for take-off. The airport's Emergency Response Plan was immediately activated, initiating relevant operational procedures in a coordinated manner.

Specifically, actions such as rescue, first aid provision in the field, and passenger transportation were implemented. Subsequently, with excellent coordination between the involved authorities and bodies, planned actions were carried out to inform relatives and the public. Additionally, the airport's Crisis Management Center was activated to coordinate the incident.

The purpose of the large-scale exercise was to evaluate and, if necessary, enhance the operational response level of all involved bodies in such an event, primarily by analyzing the pace of cooperation and interoperability among them in dealing with such a crisis.

Following the successful completion of the exercise, conducted in collaboration with AEGEAN and all relevant bodies, Mr. Panagiotis Spyratos, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Fraport Greece, stated: "The successful conduct of the large-scale exercise at Thessaloniki airport 'Makedonia' through the cooperation of Fraport Greece with AEGEAN and the other involved bodies is of critical importance for airport and flight safety. Fraport Greece, committed to providing a high level of safety to passengers and the aviation industry, has planned a comprehensive strategic plan which includes this particular exercise. This plan is implemented continuously in all 14 regional airports managed and operated by the company, encompassing infrastructure renewal, adherence to the highest European and international standards for procedures and operations, as well as staff training to maintain and enhance the already high level of safety and security across all 14 regional airports."

Mr. Zisis Pechlevanoudis, Accountable Manager of AEGEAN, stated: "At AEGEAN, continuous, preventive control and training of the organization's operational readiness for the effective management of emergency incidents is a priority, as is any issue concerning the safety of both our passengers and employees. The planned large-scale exercise, which we successfully conducted at Thessaloniki Airport, thanks to the excellent cooperation with Fraport Greece and all the stakeholders, gave us the opportunity to test the response readiness of our people, as well as the ability for effective cooperation and coordination between the stakeholders and to identify any points that may need further optimization."