Milan Bergamo Airport UPDATES: Man ‘sucked into engine’ was a trespasser, airport says

Operations resume as normal at the airport

There are currently no delays or cancellations at Milan Bergamo Airport.

This includes arrivals, some of which are coming from the UK, and so no disruption is expected in and out of the hub today.

Departures include flights to Bucharest and Warsaw.

Milan Bergamo Airport speaks out after tragedy as man is ‘sucked into engine’

The man who died after reportedly getting sucked into an aeroplane’s engine was neither a passenger or an employee at the airport, its boss said.

The 35-year-old man, named locally as Andrea Russo, ran onto the tarmac at Milan Bergamo Airport, the third-busiest international airport in Italy on Tuesday. He then got sucked into a plane’s engine, it is said, as the aircraft attempted to take off.

Giovanni Sanga, CEO of the group which operates Milan Bergamo Airport, has today expressed his “personal condolences” to the man’s family and offered fresh detail about what happened at the hub, a base for Ryanair and other airlines.

Milan Bergamo Airport speaks out after tragedy as man is ‘sucked into engine’

Airport operator released statement

Sacbo, the operator of the airport, had confirmed that “an incident” occurred on the taxiway yesterday morning and said it is being investigated by authorities.

SACBO announces that flight operations at Milan Bergamo Airport were suspended at 10:20 am due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway. The causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities.

Flights diverted to other airports

Flights were yesterday diverted to other airports, including one to Bologna, two to Verona and six to Milan Malpensa.

Eight flights were cancelled.

Milan Bergamo Airport: Man ‘sucked into plane engine’ and killed pictured

A man who was “sucked into a plane engine” at Milan Bergamo Airport has been pictured for the first time.

Builder Andrea Russo, 35, from the Calcinate county, in Bergamo, Lombardy, was sucked into a Volotea plane engine, according to Italian media. Operations at Orio al Serio Airport, also known as Milan Bergamo, came to an abrupt halt at about 10:20am local time following a “fatal accident” on the runway.

Russo was not a passenger on board the plane and was not reported to have had any association with the airline, Volotea said. He is understood to have broken into the airport by driving the wrong way down a road before abandoning his car and then running into the terminal.

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Man ‘eluded’ airport controls

Passengers who were said to have witnessed the incident claimed the man abandoned his car at the front of the airport before he entered the terminal building.

He was then said to have eluded airport controls and somehow reached the runway after opening an emergency door.

RECAP: What has Milan Bergamo Airport said about incident?

A Milan Bergamo Airport spokesperson took to social media to update passengers about the situation.

In a post shared to X/Twitter, the spokesperson said: “SACBO announces that flight operations at Milan Bergamo Airport were suspended from 10:20 am to 12:00 pm due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway.

“The causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities. Air traffic resumed at 12:00 pm.”

Horror final moments of person ‘sucked into plane’s engine’ in harrowing scenes

A man has died after being “sucked into plane’s engine” on a taxiway at a major European airport this morning. All flights at Italy’s Milano Bergamo were suspended from 10.20am local time (9.20am BST) this morning following the harrowing incident.

Officials are yet to confirm exactly what happened, but local media has reported that the man was being chased by police and ran onto the tarmac where he was allegedly sucked into an aeroplane’s turbine.

Eyewitness saw ‘tall, tanned and fit’ man run towards plane

An eyewitness at the airport during the incident said he saw a man who he described as “tall, tanned and fit” running towards the plane earlier today.

He told the Corriere Della Sera the man ran away from stewards before throwing himself “against the right engine of the plane” before he was sucked into the aircraft’s engine. He said: “I saw [the man] running away from the stewards. At first he threw himself against the right engine of the plane, then he went around and threw himself or was sucked into the other engine.”

Plane was moving at the time of the accident

It’s understood that the plane had been moving away from the gate – performing a “pushback” manoeuvre – when the man got too close to the aircraft, and was sucked into its engine.

The man suffered “serious” immediate injuries. It’s believed he died shortly after.

Airport incident creates major issues for Ryanair

Ryanair is known to be the main carrier using Bergamo airport.

The budget airline cancelled a dozen departures and corresponding inbound flights after the airport was shuttered to deal with the incident.

A Ryanair flight from Bristol to Bergamo is expected to be delayed by three hours. The return flight is expected to run eight hours later, reports The Independent.

What we know so far

Travel chaos has erupted in Italy after a man was sucked into a jet engine turbine.

• A 35-year-old man – who was not an airport employee, passenger, nor member of flight crew – was sucked into a jet engine at Milan’s Bergamo Airport today.
• Officials are investigating whether his death was accidental or intentional.
• The incident has lead to travel chaos in Italy and further afield, with at least 19 flight cancellation and several more delays.
• A number of planes have been rerouted to nearby airports.

Planes cancelled and diverted after horror accident

Nine flights have been diverted and another six rerouted after a man was sucked in to a jet engine at Milan airport this morning.

Eight departures were cancelled, with the airport delaying all flights until after midday local time, CNN reports.

Passengers offered ‘psychological support’ after jet engine tragedy

A spokesperson for Volotea confirmed that 154 passengers were on board the plane at the time, as well as six members of staff. Two of them were pilots and four of them cabin crew.

In a post on X, Volotea said they’re supporting the passengers and crew and providing them with psychological support.

Plane was performing ‘pushback’ manoeuvre when man was pulled into engine

The Airbus A319 is understood to have been performing a ‘pushback’ manoeuvre to move away from the gate area when the man came close to the aircraft, and was pulled into one of its jet engines.

Airline Volotea said the man suffered ‘serious injuries’ in the impact, and he is thought to have died soon afterwards.

Man ‘opened security door’ to reach tarmac

The 35-year-old who died today is said to have entered the airport through the arrivals area.

From there, he is believed to have opened a door to gain access to the taxiway – the area where planes pick up passengers – before running towards the plane.

Civil aviation authority to investigate incident

Italy’s civil aviation authority and police are leading an investigation into the incident, with their primary focus concerning how the man was able to gain access to the tarmac.

Follows similar incident last year

In May last year, an airport employee died after being pulled into a plane’s running engine in Amsterdam.

The man is thought to have intentionally climbed inside the engine during take-off.

Man was a ‘trespasser’ and not a passenger

It’s now being reported in local media that the 35-year-old man who died in the incident earlier today was a suspected trespasser, and not a passenger or airport worker.

The man is believed to have run in front of a plane as it moved towards the runway for take-off.

More delays and cancellations

Disruption to flights out of Milan’s Bergamo airport continue to be disrupted this afternoon, with a Ryanair flight to Bristol scheduled for 4.25pm now set to take off at 12.25am tomorrow morning.

Flights to Birmingham, Edinburgh and London Stansted this afternoon have not been impacted.

Airline confirms man injured in incident ‘involving jet engine’

A statement from Volotea, the airline operating the plane involved in today’s incident, 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.”

Man ‘was being chased by police’ moments before

Local media has reported that the man was being chased by police and ran onto the tarmac.

According to reports, police were unable to stop him, as he ran towards the aircraft that was already moving.

Airline addresses tragedy

An airline has issued a statement addressing the tragedy and said they have launched an investigation.

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. More information soon.”

Statement in full as investigation underway

Sacbo, who run the airport, said: “SACBO announces that flight operations at Milan Bergamo Airport were suspended at 10:20 am due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway. The causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities.”

Victim is identified as 35-year-old man

The victim has been identified as a 35-year-old man, local media has reported.

Plane involved was an Airbus A319

The plane involved in today’s accident is an Airbus A319 operated by the Spanish budget airline Volotea.

It was departing to the Asturias in Spain when the man was fatally injured shortly after it had picked up passsengers.

Investigation into how deadly incident unfolded

Firefighters, airport technicians and police are currently investigating how the incident unfolded.

One main focus of their inquries is thought to centre around whether it was an accident or a voluntary act.

Delays and cancellations continue

Despite air traffic officially resuming at the airport, live departures information shows that the majority of flights scheduled for the next three hours are either delayed or cancelled.

The 3.05pm Ryanair flight to Birmingham is currently not affected, though passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest updates.

Air traffic resumes

Airport operator Sacbo says that air traffic has now resumed at Milan Bergamo airport after operations were earlier suspended.

Victim was ‘man in his 30s’ who ‘ran in front of plane’

The victim who died after being sucked into the jet engine is now reported to be a man in his 30s, who is said to have run in front of the plane as it began its take-off manoeuvres.