KRALENDIJK – Flamingo Airport on Bonaire was closed for several hours on Tuesday morning to conduct a large-scale, multidisciplinary emergency response exercise.
Using actors to simulate a realistic scenario, the drill involved a fuel leak during aircraft refueling that led to a fire on a passenger plane. The team at Bonaire International Airport (BIA) carried out the exercise in collaboration with the Public Entity Bonaire (PEB), the Caribbean Netherlands Fire Department (BKCN), Curoil, KPCN (Dutch Caribbean Police Force), the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the ambulance service (Fundashon Mariadal), and the Red Cross.
Key emergency coordination bodies—including the Incident Command Post (CoPI), the Island Policy Team (EBT), the Airport Crisis Team, and various Emergency Support Function (ESF) groups—were activated to practice coordination and escalation protocols.
Giordano Molina, Chief Operating Officer at BIA, expressed satisfaction with the exercise: “The training was a success, and highlights the importance of frequent drills and close collaboration among all emergency services.”
Commited to Safety
The airport expressed its gratitude to all partners, actors, and organizers for their commitment and involvement in the drill, which contributes to the ongoing safeguarding of safety at Flamingo Airport.
