On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, an approximately 35-year-old man broke through security at Bergamo-Orio al Serio Airport and apparently deliberately ran towards an Airbus A319 belonging to the airline Volotea. The aircraft was in the pushback phase and was about to roll back onto the runway. The man was hit by an engine and died of his injuries at the scene of the accident. He was neither a passenger nor an employee of the airline.
The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 a.m. and led to an immediate halt to all air traffic. All take-offs and landings were suspended until around 12 noon. During this time, numerous flights were canceled or diverted to nearby airports such as Milan-Malpensa, Verona and Bologna. At least 19 departures and several arrivals were affected, affecting thousands of passengers.
According to witnesses, the man drove his vehicle against the direction of travel on the site and left it near the terminal. He then overcame several security doors to get into the area of the waiting aircraft. Despite the intervention of security personnel and police officers, he was able to reach the pushback of the aircraft. The responsible authorities are investigating whether he deliberately exposed himself to the engine and are looking into the hypothesis of suicide. Findings from traces in the man's car support this assumption.
All 154 passengers and the six-person crew of the affected flight were evacuated unharmed and received psychological support from Volotea. The airport operator SACBO confirmed the tragedy and offered assistance. Authorities are now examining the flight protocols and safety precautions in order to identify weaknesses and prevent a recurrence.
The serious incident raises urgent questions about access and perimeter safety. Experts attest that the suction of a running engine is potentially lethal even at low speeds. Similar suicide cases at airports such as Amsterdam-Schiphol, San Antonio and Salt Lake City are being compared, in which unauthorized persons deliberately jumped in front of engines and died. Here, too, investigations are being carried out into how someone was able to enter the secure "airside" area, which is supposed to be accessible only to authorized personnel, unchallenged.
The flight supervisory authorities, the security teams and the police are currently initiating a comprehensive security review. The aim is to identify and close clear weaknesses in physical security and access control. At the same time, psychological support is being provided for affected employees, passengers and potentially traumatized witnesses.
This serious incident on July 8, 2025 caused considerable disruption to air traffic at Italy's third-largest airport and brought safety issues back into focus. A precise reconstruction of the events is still pending.
