The air traffic manager prepares its managers to deal with emergencies and cyberattacks

1. A small group for critical decisions
2. Physical, digital and reputational emergencies
3. Pressure from the media and networks
4. Observers, recordings and analyzes
5. Evaluate to improve
6. Medium-term training
7. An increasingly hostile context

There are no planes in the air or passengers waiting in a terminal, but the tension is real. A small group of managers sit around a table while information arrives in pieces. something serious is happening. You have to decide quickly, coordinate different areas and answer uncomfortable questions.

This is how air traffic managers in Spain train to deal with a major emergencyaccording to the internal documentation to which he had access Digital Confidentiality.

The head of air navigation designed an internal exercise to prepare your management team for exceptional situations which may affect its facilities, personnel, public image or continuity of service.

This is not a theoretical course or standard training, but rather a Complete crisis management exercise designed to replicate high-impact scenarios.

From the first moment, The objective is to avoid improvisation. The training aims to ensure that designated officials are fully aware of the procedures and know how to act when an emergency requires them to intervene. activate extraordinary mechanisms and make decisions under pressure.

A small group for critical decisions

The exercise aims to a group of around 25 peoplemainly managers, who could be directly involved in manage a real crisis. They are the ones who, if necessary, should coordinate teams, prioritize actions and assume responsibilities in an unfavorable context.

The exercise takes place for a few three hoursbeyond the time necessary for its preliminary preparation. In this interval, the participants are confronted with a situation specially designed to test your reaction ability.

Information is not complete from the start, decisions must be made with incomplete data, and every move has consequences within the exercise itself.

Physical, digital and reputational emergencies

The internal documentation does not establish a single closed case. On the contrary, the simulation is constructed from emergency scenarios which may vary depending on the nature of the incident. Among them are considered possible fires in facilities, cyberattacks with operational impact And reputation crises which require a coordinated response.

The exercise is designed to cause application of internal protocols and, where applicable, the convening of the crisis committee.

Participants must face technical, organizational and communication problems at the same time, as happens in any real situation of this type.

Pressure from the media and networks

One of the central elements of training is communication. The exercise includes the reconstitution of media questionssimulated social media messages and requests for information that require managers to manage not only the emergency itself, but also its impact on the public.

During the exercise, fictitious press content, interviews and audiovisual material are created to reinforce the credibility of the scenario. The objective is toCheck the managers’ reaction when media pressure adds to operational urgency.

Observers, recordings and analyzes

Nothing is left to chance. During the exercise, an external team acts as observertaking note of everything that happens: decision deadlines, coordination between areas, doubts, errors and deviations from established procedures.

Additionally, participants’ responses and behaviors were saved for later analysisboth from the point of view of crisis management and communication. The exercise does not seek to point the finger at the culprits, but rather detect weaknesses and areas for improvement.

Evaluate to improve

Once the exercise is finished, the work continues. A joint review session is held in which participants analyze what happened and share their assessments.

Subsequently, a detailed report which includes the development of the exercise, the performance of the personnel involved and the analysis of the results.

This document includes concrete recommendationsthe measurement of indicators and a proposal for improvement actions, with the aim of strengthening future preparation for real crises. The idea is to transform the error into learning before it has real consequences.

Medium-term training

The plan is conceived as a process extending over time, with a 14 month lead time. This margin allows us to prepare the ground, train the participants, develop the simulation and analyze the conclusions in depth. This is not a one-off reaction, but rather a commitment to continued preparation.

An increasingly hostile context

This type of training comes at a particularly sensitive time for the transport sector. In recent months, cyberattacks have increased and affected both airlines, airports and logistics operators.

The recent hack of Iberia, which exposed the personal data of thousands of customers, or the incidents suffered by Air Europa are just a few examples. According to INCIBE data analyzed by Pandora FMS, Transportation now accounts for more than 24% of attacks against essential sectors.

On September 22, an attack came from a technology provider paralyzed the check-in and baggage systems of several European airports for hourswith thousands of passengers affected and flights canceled. Heathrow, Brussels, Berlin And Dublin has suffered serious alterations. A few days later, British authorities arrested a suspect.