Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has successfully conducted its triennial full-scale emergency response exercise at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The exercise, known as AIREX, simulated an aircraft emergency incident to test the airport’s emergency plan and operational readiness, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
More than 400 participants came together for AIREX 2025 to respond to a simulated aircraft emergency, including first responders, law enforcement, airline personnel, airport staff and volunteers who portrayed passengers. The three-hour exercise was conducted at the LAX Flight Path Museum, where participants demonstrated coordination, communication and emergency response capabilities. Observers included dozens of stakeholders from airlines, airports, state and local agencies, as well as representatives from the US Department of State, the FBI and the Consulates General of Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand.
AIREX 2025 evaluated multiple emergency response functions, including unified command establishment, firefighting, rescue operations, the triage of injured passengers and coordination between various emergency response agencies. More than 150 volunteers portrayed passengers, complete with replicas of realistic injuries.
Organizations represented at AIREX 2025 included LAWA, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Airport Police, Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, Transportation Security Administration and US Customs and Border Protection.
LAWA officials will use information gathered during the exercise to help further refine emergency response plans at LAX.
Read about India’s Kempegowda International Airport’s emergency response exercise here.