THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) will hold a plane crash simulation exercise on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019.

The event’s aim is to enhance the airport personnel’s capability in responding to such incident.

Some 105 personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) 7 will also participate in the activity, which the officials claimed to be the first simulation exercise on aerial disaster in the country.

At 2 p.m., the exercise will happen in the waters of the Magellan Bay off Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City.

PCG 7 spokesperson LTJG Michael John Encina said they chose Magellan Bay as the venue for the activity as there is a possibility that an airplane would crash in the area.

He said the PCG 7 personnel would be the lead response agency in the event of a plane crash in the seawater.

Encina said the MCIAA officials arranged for the exercise as they want their personnel to improve their capability as they are catering to domestic and international flights.

For the PCG 7, the activity would improve its personnel’s skills, knowledge and attitude in responding to a plane crash incident. The coast guard personnel, said Encina, primarily respond to distressed sea vessels.

Other participating agencies include the local and national Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, Philippine Red Cross and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (WBS)