Regina airport emergency training exercise simulates collision between drone and plane

Ambulances circled the Regina International Airport Tuesday as smoke billowed from the property, but there was no real emergency. 

It was all a part a mock emergency, an exercise to help airport staff and first responders prepare for the real thing.

"The more you practise, the more ready you'll be if a circumstance occurs," said James Bogusz, CEO and president of the Regina Airport Authority.

"In the unlikely event we have a major disaster at this airport, you can be sure we'll be ready."

The exercise included 150 participants, from actors feigning distress to police and EMTs providing mock medical treatment. 

The simulation included an aircraft having an accident on a main runway and an emergency at a terminal.

"Safety is our business at YQR, and I want to go to bed at night as CEO of this airport knowing that we've put the appropriate amount of time and resources into simulating and practising," said Bogusz.

The simulation involved a mock collision between a plane and a drone.

Drones flying near airports are becoming more of a safety risk, Bogusz said.

"In YQR there's been drone sightings," he said. "I've heard and read about drone sightings across many airports all over the world, and thankfully there's been no collisions or no incidents yet at YQR beyond sightings."

Large-scale weighted drones could damage a plane, Bogusz said. 

Departures out of Regina were not affected by the emergency simulation. Planes flying out used the airport's second runway.

Tests like these are run every two years as required for any Canadian international airport.