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Flights were grounded at Bergamo airport in Milan after a man died on a runway during take off preparations for a flight.
Operations were suspended from 10.20am to midday local time on Tuesday “due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway“, the airport said in a statement.
A statement on social media read: “SACBO (the airport operator) advises that due to an aircraft grounded on the runway due to technical problems, operations are suspended. Departing flights are delayed and arriving flights may be diverted or cancelled until reopened.”
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
Italian media reported that an individual was “sucked into the engine of a plane that was preparing for takeoff”.
Corriere Della Sera cited airport sources who claimed that the individual, believed to be around 35 years old, “entered the wrong way near the terminal, abandoned his car and started running towards the inside.
“Once he had entered the arrivals area – which is on the ground floor – he is said to have opened a security door that leads directly to the aircraft parking areas.”
A spokesperson confirmed that a man had died, adding that he was neither a passenger nor a member of airport staff.
Local media said the plane involved was a Volotea Airbus A319 bound for Asturias airport, manoeuvring out of the parking area.
A statement from Volotea said: “We’re investigating reports of an incident involving our flight V73511 BGY-OVD, which occurred on the ground after boarding was completed and ready for departure.
“We’re aware that one individual has sustained serious injuries involving the aircraft engine.”
The airport, known for its low-cost airline connections to and from nearby Milan, was temporarily closed on Tuesday after a man died on a runway during take off preparations for a flight.
Operations were suspended for less than two hours, resuming at 12pm local time.
Bergamo airport is the third-busiest international airport in Italy, which served almost 17.4 million passengers in 2024. It is also one of Ryanair‘s three largest operating bases, along with Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport.
The airport temporarily suspended flights last October after four tires on a Ryanair-operated flight burst on the runway after landing, forcing the plane to a stop. Some 450 metres of the runway was damaged.