Kuala lumpur: More than 20 enforcement and emergency response agencies participated today in Ex Urban Falcon 2026, a full-scale air disaster simulation designed to test operational readiness and inter-agency coordination should an aircraft crash occur outside the airport perimeter. Airport Fire and Rescue Services (AFRS) general manager Muhammad Hidayat Ismail said the exercise involved a simulation of an ATR72 aircraft "crashing" about six kilometres from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the objective of this exercise is to ensure Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and other responding agencies are fully prepared to coordinate emergency operations under the aerodrome emergency plan, particularly in the event of an aircraft accident outside the airport area. Under the National Aeronautical Search and Rescue Manual (NAMSA), the AFRS' area of responsibility extends to a radius of up to eight kilometres from the airport's midpoint.
Muhammad Hidayat noted that this simulation was the first of its kind to involve an aircraft accident scenario beyond the airport perimeter, whereas previous exercises had been held only near the airport boundary. One of the biggest challenges for the response teams was ensuring a swift arrival at the scene, given the need to navigate narrow roads and pass through multiple toll plazas.
"What I observed from the response agencies was that they carried out their duties according to existing procedures, and the firefighting and rescue operations were executed well," Muhammad Hidayat stated. He expressed hope that the exercise would provide a foundation for improving agency preparedness, given that air disaster scenarios beyond airport boundaries are rarely put to the test.
The exercise highlighted the significant difference between an aircraft crash inside and outside an airport, with lower survival chances for victims due to uneven terrain at off-airport locations. It provided rescue teams with a realistic scenario in which casualties could outnumber survivors, underscoring the need for closer coordination in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) operations led by the Royal Malaysia Police.
Muhammad Hidayat emphasized that AFRS is equipped with the latest aircraft firefighting vehicles, built to meet the specifications and standards stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). He mentioned that the findings and challenges from the exercise would be reviewed at a special workshop on July 26 and 27 to develop improvement measures and strengthen coordinated disaster response efforts.
The sustained commitment from all agencies involved demonstrated Malaysia's preparedness to respond to potential air disasters, further enhancing public trust in the nation's aviation safety framework. The Ex Urban Falcon 2026 drill was conducted through a strategic partnership among MAHB, NADMA, the Selangor state government, and PROLINTAS-DASH, bringing together 450 participants from critical public and private-sector agencies involved in aviation disaster response.