Society

Beijing airport training to combat terror threat

By Xin Dingding (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-23 08:01

BEIJING - Beijing Capital International Airport was the scene of a drill on Friday aimed at preparing the country's major air gateway for possible terrorist attacks.

The exercise simulated an assault by an international terrorism group.

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In the scenario, the terrorists used a business jet to attack the airport and also hijacked a scheduled passenger flight in an attempt to coerce a visiting foreign leader to negotiate with them.

The drill was designed to help prepare the airport for a threat from terrorists able to adapt and change their methods of attack, said Wei Yajun, head of the airport's police bureau.

The airport, which is expected to handle 75 million passengers this year, is facing increasing security pressures, Wei said.

Last year, its police had the grueling task of protecting almost 3,000 foreign VIPs who traveled through the facility. The number is expected to increase this year, he said.

Meanwhile, terrorists are adopting new ways of attack, and could use suicide bombers or private jets to attack civil aviation targets, he said.

"We hope this drill will raise the airport staff's vigilance and help them prepare for emergencies," he said.

The drill was bigger than a special exercise at the airport in 2007 to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. That operation focused on prevention of and emergency responses to a bombing, Wei said.

More than 1,000 people participated in the drill, including armed police, members of the special police force, firefighters and medical specialists.