CASE STUDY
Crisis communication during a hijack
Incident
EgyptAir flight 181 carrying 81 passengers and crew, en route from Alexandria to Cairo, was hijacked at approx. 8.30am by an assailant suspected being armed with a bomb. The plane then landed at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus.
Spring into action
FCM Crisis Communication was issued immediately news came to light to all FCM businesses worldwide who followed standard protocol to identify passengers of FCM clients on board. FCM Asia reporting showed no affected clients.
FCM UAE, however, did have an affected passenger. Here is the process they followed, which is the global standard across FCM.
- Crisis was identified
- Check records through back office manifest reports
- Identified a passenger on the flight
- Local client was contacted and informed of the situation, initially by the travel manager with a follow up call from the general manager
- Attempt to call passenger, however phone was turned off
- Called the airline to confirm passenger manifest
- Sent an SMS message to the passenger
- Received confirmation from the passenger via text that he was off the plane when the majority of passengers were released
- Contacted the local client to confirm passenger’s safety status
- Maintained contact with passenger to arrange travel home from Cyprus
FCM and travel risk management
In light of recent events in Europe, there is no longer a clear border between ‘safe’ and ‘risky’ areas of the world. More than ever before, employers need to be fully engaged with duty of care and what strategies can be implemented to maximise traveller protection. Booking all travel through a single source (TMC) is vital to enable effective traveller tracking and traveller assistance when required. Whether the disruption is minor or major, you want it dealt with quickly, efficiently and with the safety and productivity of your travellers in mind.
An effective travel risk management programme must also be in place. FCM technology blends the risk intelligence of Crisis24 (formerly iJet International) and custom built technology to deliver a comprehensive, cost effective travel risk management solution. And while technology can ensure you are alerted quickly to situations and allows us to instantly identify travellers who may be affected by an incident, it is the actions of real people who make the difference. People who can use their initiative, utilise their expertise and be proactive in dealing with the unexpected. It is people who will be on the phone to travellers, provide information, support and calm direction in an emergency. Feel confident knowing FCM Mobile app delivers the most pertinent safety information and can connect your travellers to a team of experts within seconds.
Safety is interwoven in everything we do. With FCM, you can effectively manage risk to your travelling employees.
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