All flights have been suspended at Milan Bergamo Airport after a person has reportedly died in a horrifying incident on the airport’s taxiway, forcing authorities to halt operations and divert flights across the region.
SACBO, the operator of the airport, confirmed that “an incident” occurred on the taxiway on the morning of July 8 and said it is being investigated by authorities, The Sun reports.
“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,” the airport’s official X account posted.
According to multiple reports, the victim - described as a "trespasser" - was “pulled into the engine of an aeroplane” while it was preparing for departure on the taxiway.
Corriere della Sera reported that the individual was not a passenger nor airport staff member but is believed to have run onto the tarmac and into the path of an aircraft that was taxiing for takeoff.
Airport sources told the outlet that the person was pulled into the aircraft engine “just as the plane was preparing to depart,” describing the moment as horrifying.
However, the airline involved has not yet been officially named. It is understood the incident involved a Volotea aircraft that was due to depart for Asturias, Spain, with the flight being the last to leave the airport at 10:20AM.
Following the incident, all flight operations at Milan Bergamo — Italy’s third-busiest airport — were suspended, with significant knock-on effects for regional travel.
Flights were diverted to other airports, including one to Bologna, two to Verona, and six to Milan Malpensa. By 11:50AM local time, eight departures had been cancelled outright, with passengers urged to check their flight status before travel.
A total of 19 flights have now been canceled as a result of the tragic incident (as of this writing), per Flightradar24.
Emergency services, including rescue vehicles and firefighters, attended the scene immediately after the incident. The area remains cordoned off as authorities work to determine how the individual managed to breach airport security and get close to a moving aircraft.
The timeline for when operations at Milan Bergamo will return to normal remains unclear.
Milan Bergamo, also known as Orio al Serio Airport, is a major hub for low-cost airlines, with Ryanair operating heavily from the airport. The incident has disrupted flight schedules during a peak travel period, leaving many passengers stranded or forced to reroute through other Italian airports.