Man Dies After Being Sucked into Plane Engine at Milan Bergamo Airport

MILAN, ITALY— A tragic incident at Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY) forced a temporary suspension of operations after a person was fatally injured by a Volotea (V7) aircraft engine during a taxi. The airport halted all movements following the event, resuming limited operations approximately two hours later.

The Volotea Airbus A319, operating flight V7 3924 to Asturias Airport (OVD), was preparing for departure when the individual breached airport security and approached the aircraft. Authorities are currently investigating the situation.

Photo: By Hugo LUC – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=148419160

A Man Died at Milan Airport

According to Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY), the incident occurred around 10:00 local time on July 8.

The airport released an official statement at 10:20, confirming all flight operations had been suspended “due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway.” By 12:00, the airport resumed limited activity after several delays, diversions, and cancellations.

Volotea (V7) confirmed the aircraft involved was an Airbus A319ceo, registration EC-MTF, scheduled to depart for Asturias (OVD) in Spain. The aircraft had completed boarding and pushback when the incident occurred.

Local media outlets and eyewitnesses stated that a man, estimated to be around 35 years old, accessed the taxiway area and was ingested into the aircraft’s left engine.

Italian broadcaster RAI and Corriere della Sera reported that the man may have been fleeing from police at the time.

Reddit users, some of whom claimed to be onboard, described the aftermath, including an emergency evacuation via the front right door and an immediate response by fire, medical, and law enforcement personnel.

Photo: Dylan Agbagni (CC0) | Flickr

Impact on Airport Operations

The tragic event had a ripple effect across Milan Bergamo’s flight schedule. Data from Flightradar24 showed at least 13 departing flights were canceled, along with nine inbound flights.

Eight aircraft were diverted to nearby airports: Bologna (BLQ), Milan Malpensa (MXP), and Verona (VRN).

Of the five diversions to Milan Malpensa (MXP), four involved Ryanair (FR) aircraft. One of these, a Boeing 737-800 (SP-RKM) operated by Ryanair subsidiary Buzz, repositioned back to Bergamo and landed at 13:37.

The remaining three aircraft—EI-DLC, EI-EGA, and EI-GSJ—departed as ferry flights to Alghero (AHO), Porto (OPO), and Tirana (TIA), respectively, to operate subsequent scheduled services.

Bottom Line

Volotea (V7) acknowledged the serious nature of the event and confirmed ongoing internal investigations.

The airline stated that the person involved was seriously injured due to engine contact and that updates would follow as more information became available.

Milan Bergamo Airport emphasized that police were leading the investigation, and it refrained from further comments until authorities released their findings. The exact motive and method of the security breach remain unknown at this time.

Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.

Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News

The post Man Dies After Being Sucked into Plane Engine at Milan Bergamo Airport appeared first on Aviation A2Z.