Airfield emergency testing being done to prepare for opening of Western Sydney International Airport in 2026

An airfield emergency is being staged at Western Sydney International Airport to test systems and personnel ahead of its opening next year.

Transcript

00:00This is a full-scale emergency response. There are dozens of police, paramedics and

00:06firefighters on the runway behind me. Thankfully, it's not a real emergency. This is a staged

00:13airfield disaster. It started with the arrival of an RFS water bomber. Last night, this aircraft

00:19was being used to fight fires in northern New South Wales. This morning, it became the first

00:24737 to touch down on this runway and now it's taking centre stage in this exercise. It's being

00:32used to represent a plane that's been involved in a crash here and volunteers lying on the tarmac,

00:37they're playing the role of passengers that were on board that plane. This is a multi-agency exercise

00:43involving 300 volunteers and emergency service workers. Days like today are critically important

00:50for all of us to understand what our roles are and to exercise that coordination and make sure that

00:56in the event of a real emergency, we understand who we're operating with, how we need to operate

01:01and that we've learnt the lessons to be as smooth and as highly efficient as we can.

01:05In recent weeks, we've seen the airport being stress tested in other ways. We've seen

01:09computer systems being checked and the bag drop being tested out. But this is the most significant

01:14emergency exercise that's been held here so far. And this is all about making sure this airport is

01:20ready in every way possible when it opens in the second half of next year.