Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea was at Shannon airport yesterday in his capacity as chairman of the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning to witness the effectiveness of the emergency services if an aircraft crashed at the mid-west airport.
Exercise Eagle, which began at 2.20pm yesterday, aimed to "exercise the inter-agency response to an aircraft accident at Shannon airport" and "test airport emergency call-out and activation procedures as part of emergency planning measures".
The drill also aimed to "test on-site command and control by first attendance, post-accident plans of the Health Service Executive, Clare County Council, An Garda Síochána and Shannon Airport Authority".
A former Iberian Airlines Boeing 727 used by airport crash crews for regular exercises was deployed near a vacant taxiway for yesterday's drill. Small fires were lit around the aircraft to make the exercise more realistic.
The four-hour drill centred around a simulated crash of a transatlantic Boeing 767 jet carrying 67 passengers and three crew. According to the cargo manifest the aircraft was also carrying chemicals.
Fire brigade units from Ennis and Shannon, as well as ambulances and assorted support vehicles from Ennis and Limerick, were sent to the airport as part of the exercise.
Mr O'Dea said yesterday: "Shortly after I was appointed I stepped up the number and frequency of these 'boots-on-the-ground' simulated emergency response exercises.
"The purpose is to test the robustness and effectiveness of our response to a major emergency. At almost no point is any plan 100 per cent ready and finalised."