Introduction
Airline and airport ERP, covering aircraft accident response, family assistance and media, is a 1-week course for emergency planning, crisis team, operations control, family assistance and communications staff in airlines and airports, ending with an ERP Review and Accident Exercise Pack. After an aircraft accident or serious incident, airlines and airports are judged within hours on how they account for passengers, support families, coordinate with authorities and speak to the media, and plan gaps surface fast. Nominees already hold ERP roles, and teaching is by time-pressured accident simulation. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this airline and airport ERP course.
Course Objectives
- Structure an airline or airport ERP as an SMS element under ICAO Doc 9859 and align it with the airport emergency plan in ICAO Doc 9137 Part 7
- Activate and run an airline or airport crisis centre with defined team roles, decision logs and briefing cycles
- Organise family assistance and support for passengers, next of kin and survivors in line with ICAO Doc 9998 and Doc 9973
- Prepare holding statements, media briefings and social media monitoring for the first hours after an aircraft accident
- Coordinate with investigation authorities, emergency services, insurers, partner airlines and handling agents while protecting evidence and confidentiality
- Design and evaluate ERP exercises and produce an ERP Review and Accident Exercise Pack
Target Audience
- ERP planning managers responsible for the airline or airport emergency response plan and its updates
- Crisis centre team members responsible for decisions during an aircraft accident or serious incident
- Operations control and duty managers responsible for first notification and initial response
- Family assistance and customer care managers responsible for passengers, families and special assistance teams
- Corporate communications managers responsible for media, statements and social media after an accident
- Safety, security and business continuity managers responsible for linking the ERP with the SMS and recovery plans
Course Outline
Day 1: Aircraft Accidents, Airline Exposure and the Current ERP
- Accident, Serious Incident and Disruption Definitions for Airlines and Airports
- Aircraft Accident Response Timeline Mapping From First Alert
- Stakeholder Map of Airline, Airport, Authorities and Families
- Past Airline Accident Responses Case Review and Lessons
- ERP Gap Assessment Checklist for an Own Organisation
Day 2: ICAO and ISO Frameworks for Airline and Airport ERP
- ICAO Doc 9859 Emergency Response Planning as an SMS Element
- ICAO Doc 9137 Part 7 Airport Emergency Plan Interfaces
- ICAO Doc 9998 and Doc 9973 Family Assistance Provisions
- ISO 22320 Incident Management and Command Structure
- ISO 22361 Principles Applied to Airline Crisis Team Design
Day 3: Running the Crisis Centre, Family Assistance and Media
- Crisis Centre Activation, Layout and Call-Out Lists
- Crisis Team Decision Log, Status Board and Briefing Cycle
- Passenger Manifest Reconciliation and Next-of-Kin Notification Protocol
- Family Assistance Centre and Special Assistance Team Deployment
- Holding Statement, Press Conference and Social Media Monitoring Plan
Day 4: Coordination, Pressure Points and Recovery
- Investigation Authority Coordination and Evidence Preservation Rules
- Partner Airline, Handling Agent and Insurer Coordination Agreements
- Personal Effects, Repatriation and Long-Term Family Support Arrangements
- Crisis Team Fatigue, Shift Rotation and Staff Welfare Controls
- ISO 22301 Business Continuity and Return to Normal Flight Operations
Day 5: Accident Simulation and the ERP Review Pack
- Tabletop Simulation of an Aircraft Accident at an Outstation
- Crisis Centre Live Simulation With Media and Family Injects
- Simulation Debrief Using Hot Wash and After Action Review
- ERP Exercise Programme Design for the Next Review Cycle
- ERP Review and Accident Exercise Pack Completion
Skills You Will Gain
- Airline ERP Planning
- Crisis Centre Coordination
- Accident Response Decision-Making
- Family Assistance Management
- Aviation Media Response
- Multi-Agency Coordination
- ERP Exercise Design
- Post-Accident Recovery Planning
Why Attend This Course
- Deliver an ERP Review and Accident Exercise Pack to the accountable executive and the ERP owner
- Decide when to activate the crisis centre, which team to call out and what the first public statement must say
- Avoid delayed family notification, contradictory public statements and lost evidence that damage trust and increase liability
- Brief station managers, duty staff and volunteers on the call-out procedures, decision logs and family assistance roles rehearsed during the course
Conclusion
Back at work, the participant gives the ERP Review and Accident Exercise Pack to the accountable executive, the ERP owner and the heads of operations, customer care and communications. They use it to decide which plan sections to rewrite, which roles and call-out lists to update, and which exercises to run before the next review. After the first exercise, the organisation should compare activation times, notification accuracy and media handling with the targets in the pack and amend the plan where gaps remain.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What should participants know before an airline and airport ERP course?
Participants should already hold, or be about to take, a role in their airline's or airport's emergency response arrangements. Bringing the current ERP, a call-out list or a recent exercise report lets them test their own arrangements during the simulations.
How does an airline and airport ERP course differ from an airport rescue and firefighting course?
This course concentrates on what happens beyond the accident site: the crisis centre, decisions, family assistance, media and coordination with authorities and partners. Rescue and firefighting courses address fire service category, response times and on-scene operations.
Why does family assistance matter in airline and airport ERP?
How an airline or airport treats passengers and families shapes public trust and legal exposure long after the event. ICAO Doc 9998 and Doc 9973 set out assistance to aircraft accident victims and their families, from notification to longer-term support.
What do participants take back from the airline and airport ERP course?
Participants take back an ERP Review and Accident Exercise Pack with plan gaps, revised roles and call-out lists, statement templates, family assistance arrangements and an exercise programme, ready to present to their accountable executive.