Man Dies After Being Sucked Into Plane Engine at Bergamo Airport
A man has died in an apparent suicide after running onto the taxiway and jumping into a plane’s engine at Bergamo Airport in Italy.
Bergamo Airport taxiway incident
The horrific incident occurred this morning (Tuesday 8 July) at Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport (IATA code: BGY), also known as Milan Bergamo Airport, which is primarily used by low-cost airlines.
According to the local newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo, the plane involved was a Volotea Airbus A319 (flight V7 3511) that was scheduled to depart for Asturias in Spain.
Reportedly, a man suddenly ran onto the taxiway and threw himself into the jet engine of the Volotea plane in an apparent attempt to take his own life.
Efforts by law enforcement to stop him were unsuccessful.
Flight delays
SACBO, the company that operates Bergamo Airport, stated in a press release that “flight operations at Milan Bergamo Airport were suspended at 10:20 due to an incident on the taxiway, the causes of which are being investigated by the police.”
Departures from Bergamo Airport were cancelled or delayed, while incoming flights were diverted to nearby airports, including Milan Malpensa (MXP), Verona (VRN), and Bologna (BLQ).
Flight operations were suspended from 10:20 to 12:00 local time, after which air traffic at Bergamo Airport finally resumed.
Plane engine death
The incident at Milan Bergamo Airport is not the first of its kind, as similar cases of individuals being sucked into plane engines have occurred at other airports around the world in recent times.
On 29 May 2024, a ramp agent was sucked into the engine of an Embraer operated by Dutch national airline KLM at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in what was later determined to be a suicide.
In 2023, an airport worker took his own life by deliberately jumping in front of the engine of a Delta Air Lines plane arriving at San Antonio International Airport in Texas.
Conclusion
A man has died at Bergamo Airport in Italy after running onto the taxiway and allowing himself to be sucked into the engine of an Airbus A319 in what is believed to be an apparent suicide.
Sadly, this is not the first incident of its kind, as similar plane engine suicides have occurred in recent years at airports in Amsterdam and San Antonio.
My thoughts are with the relatives of the man, as well as with any passengers, airport workers, or law enforcement officers who may have been unfortunate enough to witness this gruesome incident.
