Helsinki Airport will stage a large-scale major accident exercise on May 26, 2026, to test emergency response and multi-agency coordination in the event of a serious aircraft accident in the airport environment. The drill, designated SAR2026, is scheduled to run on the airport site from 9:00 to 15:00 local time.
The exercise is designed to assess and strengthen preparedness among airport stakeholders, emergency services and public authorities, focusing on interoperability and information flow during a complex crisis scenario. It fulfills an exercise requirement set by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), reflecting regulatory expectations for regular, full‑scale emergency preparedness testing at major airports.
Fourteen Finnish agencies are expected to participate, including the airport operator, airlines, air navigation services, rescue, police, health and security authorities, as well as border control, customs and investigative bodies. Previous comparable drills at Helsinki Airport have involved around 15 organizations and about 450 participants, making them among the largest emergency exercises ever organized in Finland in terms of personnel.
Normal flight operations are planned to continue throughout the drill, and air traffic is not expected to be affected. The public is not anticipated to experience significant disruption, although unnecessary movements around the airport area are discouraged during the exercise window for safety reasons.