Safety takes top priority at Zurich Airport. In the event of an incident, various emergency services and crisis teams are required to work together. This collaboration was put to the test in the large-scale emergency drill "MC FLY 21" on 26 October through a simulated emergency situation.

Organisers based the scenario for this year’s emergency drill on a realistic incident in which an aircraft collided with a drone on its final approach, resulting in several casualties. This year’s drill required the assistance of all of the emergency services as well as the airport’s back-office services. The exercise assessed around 400 participants and involved around 160 actors. Scheduled flights remained in operation during the EASA emergency drill.

The assessed services included Zurich cantonal police, Zurich Protection & Rescue, SWISS, several external emergency services and Flughafen Zürich AG. At the same time, the airport’s back-office emergency services – the crisis team and the crisis information and support services – were deployed and tested. The telephone system for relatives set up especially for emergencies was also put into operation.

The fundamental aim of "MC FLY 21" was to enable trained emergency services personnel and organisations to practise their routines and responses and to gain valuable insights for a possible emergency situation. The large-scale emergency drill was organised by Flughafen Zürich AG and supervised by the FOCA.

The results are currently being assessed and will be used to create a detailed overall evaluation. As for previous drills, the insights from the final report will serve to further optimise the airport’s emergency procedures.