Eyewitness News – MANGUPURA
September 23, 2026
Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, in collaboration with various airport community agencies, conducted the Airport Emergency Exercise (AEE) today, Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
The full-scale exercise simulated emergency response procedures across the airport grounds.
The exercise simulated three distinct emergency scenarios: the Building Fire Exercise (handling a building fire within the airport complex), the Airport Security Exercise (managing a security threat within the airport grounds), and concluded with the Aircraft Accident Exercise, which simulated the response to an aircraft crash.
General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (Persero) / InJourney Airports for the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport Branch, Nugroho Jati, stated that the exercise reflects the airport’s commitment to ensuring personnel readiness, SOP compliance, and inter-agency coordination during emergencies.
“As the primary air gateway to Bali, serving up to 24 million passengers and over 140,000 aircraft movements annually, mitigation measures and agency readiness in handling emergency situations are paramount. Today’s Airport Emergency Exercise reinforces our commitment to upholding safety, security, and service standards at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport,” said Nugroho Jati.
“This exercise tested coordination, communication, and command functions across units and airport community agencies. Beyond personnel readiness, the AEE also evaluated various operational documents, including the Airport Emergency Plan (AEP), the Airport Security Programme (ASP), and the Airport Disaster Management Plan (ADMP),” Jati added.
Airport Emergency Exercise (AEE) Scenarios
Building Fire Exercise
On Wednesday, September 23, at 4:00 PM WITA, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Lombok Strait at a depth of 8 kilometers. The tremor triggered panic among airport users, impacting operations at the Novotel Hotel located inside the airport perimeter.
During the quake, kitchen staff preparing food fled the kitchen area. A short circuit ensued, igniting a fire. Hotel staff attempted to extinguish the flames using portable fire extinguishers, but the fire grew rapidly out of control.
Hotel staff alerted the airport’s Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) unit to extinguish the blaze and evacuate victims affected by heavy smoke inside the Novotel Hotel building.
This scenario tested the readiness of ARFF personnel, communication channels, and the Airport Disaster Management Plan (ADMP) regarding building fire mitigation and casualty evacuation.
Airport Security Exercise
The second drill involved an Airport Security Exercise simulating an insider threat. A janitorial worker, recruited by a hostile group, carried a backpack containing an improvised explosive device (IED) into the departure waiting area of the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), situated on the south side of the runway.
Duty Airport Security personnel instructed the worker to submit the backpack for x-ray inspection, which flagged suspected explosive components. Security officers confirmed the contents, prompting the suspect to flee and leave the backpack on the x-ray machine. Authorities immediately coordinated with relevant agencies to execute a comprehensive security threat response.
This scenario evaluated Airport Security personnel readiness, screening equipment efficiency, inter-agency coordination workflows under the Airport Security Committee including local Pecalang traditional security unitsand the execution of the Airport Security Programme (ASP).
Aircraft Accident Exercise
The AEE concluded with an Aircraft Accident Exercise simulating a crash involving an Angkasa Air Boeing 777-200ER.
Flight AA239, carrying 350 passengers and crew, suffered an accident immediately after touchdown on the runway, resulting in a major fire. Upon receiving an emergency notification from AirNav Indonesia ATC controllers, ARFF units rushed to the scene to extinguish the flames and rescue passengers.
The joint simulation involved multiple agencies, including the Airport Authority Office, AirNav Indonesia, the National Transportation Safety Committee (NKT/KNKT), Immigration, Customs, the Port Health Authority, airline ground handling teams, the Police, the Indonesian Air Force, regional hospitals, and local fire departments.
Following fire suppression and evacuation operations, casualty figures from the 350 passengers and crew were logged at 187 survivors, 143 injured, and 20 fatalities.
“This full-scale exercise brought together various airport community stakeholders and external agencies to reinforce coordination and communication channels for real-world emergencies. We express our sincere appreciation to all participating parties,” Jati added.
“We issued advance notices regarding the exercise to airport users and the public to prevent service disruptions. We thank all passengers and visitors for their cooperation throughout the event,” Jati concluded.
Reporter: Daniel Herry
