A full-scale Crash Rescue Exercise (CREX) 2025 was conducted on October 17 by the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the private consortium operating the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), for the purpose of testing coordination and emergency response across airport units and partner agencies.
NNIC general manager Lito Alvarez said that responders at the NAIA reached a simulated aircraft crash site in under three minutes, meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) standards for aircraft rescue and firefighting response.
The exercise simulated an aircraft with 120 passengers and six crew that ingested foreign object debris (FOD) on the runway, causing engine damage, a fuel leak and fire.
Alvarez said more than 600 participants joined the 51-minute exercise, which was supervised and evaluated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Airline Operators Council (AOC).
The simulation also tested how responders communicated, coordinated and took command under pressure, consistent with global aviation safety protocols, he added.
NNIC’s Rescue and Firefighting Service, Medical Services, Operations, Security Group and Aerodrome Safety and Wildlife Hazard Management Office led the operation, supported by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) headed by general manager Eric Jose Ines, the Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection units from nearby cities.
Alvarez said the drill is the first large-scale emergency exercise under private management since NNIC took over NAIA’s operations in September 2024 as part of a public-private partnership with the government.
Medical and disaster response teams from the Philippine Red Cross, Metro Manila Development Authority and several hospitals also participated, while Philippine Airlines activated its CARE team and Survivor Reception Area to assist in passenger management.
