Aircraft emergency evacuation

Air travel is the safest mode of transport. In general, this is achieved through a robust aviation system that ensures aircraft are safe to fly and that crew are properly trained. 

While the probability of this happening to you is very, very low, there are times when passengers will have to evacuate an aircraft due to an emergency. Being well prepared for such events increases the chance of passengers and crew coming through such an incident unscathed. Smooth handling of any emergency situation, if it arises, is also part of what makes aviation safe. 

You might remember some famous examples of emergency evacuations with commercial aircraft, such as the one on the Hudson River in 2009 or, more recently, the accident in Haneda Airport (Tokyo, Japan), in early 2024. In both events, despite extenuating circumstances, all were able to evacuate safely and there were no fatalities among passengers and crew on the commercial aircraft. 

What can contribute to making an evacuation successful? And what can you do as a passenger if you find yourself in the situation where you need to evacuate the aircraft?

Evacuation: What should you do as a passenger?

Let’s start with practical tips for you, as passenger, if you are faced with the need to evacuate the aircraft.

• Always listen to cabin crew:

  • Pay attention to the safety briefings. Maybe you are a frequent flyer and have seen and heard safety demonstrations a thousand times, but aircraft have different configurations and different safety equipment. It’s only good to be well aware of what to do if the need arises.
  • Follow the instructions of cabin crew. They have been specifically trained for such scenarios and are thoroughly familiar with the aircraft.
  • Read the safety card instructions.
  • If you are seated next to an emergency exit which is not directly overseen by a cabin crew member, listen attentively to the instructions that cabin crew will provide to you. 
     

• During taxi, take-off and landing, tighten your seatbelt around the hip.

This gives your body the best support to absorb impact. During the cruise part of the flight, it’s also beneficial to have your seatbelt on, in case there is turbulence, but it can be a bit looser.  

• Leave your luggage behind.

In an evacuation, time is of essence. Attempting to take your belongings with you will not only hinder you but also put other passengers at risk. Taking your belongings can make it harder for you to exit safely and may damage the evacuation equipment, such as the evacuation slides. While it seems obvious to prioritise your life over your belongings, past experiences show that some passengers still want to take their suitcases with them. This puts everyone at greater risk.

Evacuation safety by design

When a new aircraft is certified – the validation that it is safe to fly - some of the many requirements relate specifically to evacuation features. 

• Emergency Exits

  The existence of emergency exits is naturally one of these requirements. Aircraft come in different sizes and the maximum number of passenger seats allowed depends on the type and number of exits installed on each side of the body of the aircraft, known as the fuselage. The emergency exits must be accessible to the passengers, identifiable, and it must be clear how they can be opened in an emergency.

  There are two types of emergency exits: emergency exits that need to be opened by a passenger sitting next to it (overwing exits), and emergency exits that will be opened by cabin crew (cabin crew is sitting next to such an exit).

• Equipment

  Other requirements related to safety in general, but also an evacuation include, for instance, the use of fire-resistant materials in the cabin, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, emergency lighting systems (inside the cabin and outside of the aircraft), emergency evacuation slides (and rafts), life vests, crashworthy seats, emergency oxygen systems.

• Evacuation tests

  For an aircraft to be certified, there will be also the need to do evacuation tests. The requirement for large aeroplanes is that the aircraft must be fully evacuated in 90 seconds or less with only half of the exits usable – an impressive feat, but necessary, as time is crucial in such events. To support this, the emergency exits need to be opened and the slide deployed in not more than 10 seconds. EASA witnesses such tests during the certification phase of an aircraft.

  It should be noted that the evacuation test takes place in perfect conditions – in a simulated situation and with fit and healthy passengers who have been fully briefed. In a real-life emergency, the evacuation is likely to take longer as some passengers are likely to be children, or elderly or be in shock due to the situation. This is why the bar for a successful evacuation test at certification is set so high, at 90 seconds.

Air Operations – evacuation readiness by the crew

In addition to the evacuation safety features on the aircraft side, crew readiness for evacuation is another important factor  to ensure a successful evacuation.

Aircrews receive yearly theoretical and practical training, and a key component is emergency procedures, which include also emergency evacuation. After the training, crew members need to pass tests to demonstrate that they are fully qualified to perform in emergency situations and to perform passenger evacuation, if required. 

Before a plane takes off or lands, there are numerous checks to be completed. You might have heard the flight and cabin crew communicating between themselves and saying things like “checks completed” or “crosscheck complete”. This means that essential safety tasks have been performed and checked by crew members and in some instances crosschecked by another member of the crew.

Very important aspects in flight and cabin crew roles are coordination and communication. This ensures that cabin crew and flight crew timely and clearly receive information that raises their awareness and helps them to take proper decisions and to better prepare for emergency landing and consequently evacuations, if necessary.

Passengers are also encouraged to communicate to cabin crew members any abnormal observations, like smoke in the cabin or damage on aircraft wing, etc. 

Other considerations: seating arrangements

Seating arrangements also matter during an evacuation, especially when it comes to special categories of passengers, such as children or passengers with reduced mobility. Usually, special categories of passengers will be seated by airlines in seats where they are best located for a smooth evacuation.

It is important that children are seated together with adults that would be able to help them during emergency evacuation, or any other emergency. Read more about flying with children.