Italy Airport Horror: A tragic and highly unusual incident unfolded at Italy’s Milan Bergamo Airport on Tuesday morning, when a man was killed after being sucked into the engine of a Volotea Airbus A319 moments before its scheduled departure to Asturias, Spain. The incident, which occurred at approximately 10:20 am local time, prompted an immediate suspension of airport operations. According to airport authorities and local media, the victim was neither a passenger nor an airport employee. The unidentified Italian man, believed to be around 35 years old, had no official ties to the airline or the airport.

Reports from ANSA news agency and other Italian outlets suggest the man drove the wrong way into the airport, abandoned his car, entered through the arrivals area, and breached a security door that led directly to the airside of the terminal. Witnesses described a chaotic scene in which the man ran across the tarmac, chased by police, before heading straight toward the aircraft.

Sucked Into Engine As Plane Prepared for Takeoff

As the Volotea flight was preparing for departure, with 154 passengers and six crew members on board, the man ran directly into the path of the aircraft. Moments later, in a horrifying turn, he was sucked into one of the plane’s engines. Eyewitnesses and ground staff were left in shock.

In a statement, Volotea confirmed the death, adding that the individual had no link to the airline. Italian authorities are now investigating the breach and trying to understand the man’s motives and how he managed to enter the high-security zone undetected.

Operations Halted, Investigation Underway

Flight operations were halted from 10:20 am to 12 pm (local time), leading to widespread delays and disruptions. Milan Bergamo, Italy’s third-busiest airport, handled over 17 million passengers in 2024. The temporary closure had a cascading effect on air travel across the region.

A spokesperson said that operations resumed shortly after noon and that authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the sequence of events and assess security lapses. While incidents like this are rare, similar tragedies have occurred in recent years. In 2023, an airport worker was fatally sucked into a Delta jet engine in San Antonio, Texas, and another individual died under similar circumstances in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport earlier in 2024.