Patna: A bomb threat mock exercise was carried out at Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna on Friday to evaluate the airport’s preparedness for handling potential security emergencies.
The drill, held between 3:39 p.m. and 4:45 p.m., assessed the effectiveness of the airport’s contingency plan and the coordination between the Airport Security Group (ASG), the Airports Authority of India, local police units, airline operators, and medical services.
According to officials, the simulation began with a mock phone call to the duty terminal manager reporting the placement of an explosive device in the arrivals area. The alert triggered the activation of the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee, which launched the airport’s standard emergency protocol.
Teams from the Central Industrial Security Force, the Patna airport ASG, the state police’s special branch, and the anti-terrorism squad—including bomb disposal squads—were deployed. Sniffer dogs and detection equipment were used to inspect an unclaimed bag that generated a positive alert during the drill. The bomb disposal technical team then neutralised the simulated device and disposed of it safely in the airport’s designated cooling pit.
Stakeholders participating in the operation included all scheduled airline operators at the airport, personnel from airport police station, and medical responders from Paras HMRI hospital.
Airport authorities said the exercise demonstrated effective coordination and an adequate readiness level among agencies responsible for managing security threats at the airport.
