A tragic incident unfolded at Milan Bergamo Airport when a man breached security and was sucked into an aircraft engine, leading to his death.
All flights were suspended at Milan Bergamo, Italy’s third-busiest airport, at 10.20am local time until around midday, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Sacbo, the airport’s operators, confirmed that an “incident” forced the suspension of operations at the airport.
According to Corriera Della Sera, one of Italy’s main newspapers, the man was sucked into the plane engine as it began to manoeuvre before taking off for Asturias in Spain. He is believed to have been 35 years old.
Ansa, an Italian news agency, reported that the victim was neither a passenger nor an airport employee. It added that the man appeared to have taken his own life.
#BREAKING: Milan Airport has been shut down following horrifying reports that a person was ingested into an aircraft engine.
— upuknews (@upuknews1) July 8, 2025
Emergency services are on site. All flights are currently suspended.
More details to follow as the situation unfolds.#MilanAirport #AviationAlert… pic.twitter.com/qvjcGxL3cA
Reports said he entered the airport terminal after abandoning his car. He then entered the arrivals area before opening a security door in the baggage delivery area that leads directly onto the tarmac.
Flight V73511 was reportedly completing the “pushback” move to exit the parking area when the man was pulled into the aircraft engine, airport sources said.
The Airbus A319 is powered by two CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 turbofan engines, with rotors that can spin at nearly 15,000 rotations per minute.
In a statement on X, airline 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.”
The incident forced a total of nine flights to divert within minutes of the incident occurring, one to Bologna, two to Verona, and six to Milan Malpensa.
Ryanair is one of the leading airlines at Bergamo airport. Its flights heading for Prague, Tirana, Kos, Naples, and Porto were among the cancellations, according to Milano Today.
In May last year, a person was killed after ending up in the running jet engine of a KLM passenger plane at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
In 2023, a 27-year-old airport employee died after being sucked into a Delta passenger plane in San Antonio, Texas.
