Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8 4-Tire Blow Out Destroys Over A Quarter Mile Of Runway At Milan Airport
A Ryanair
Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 had temporarily shut down Milan Bergamo Orio al Serio International Airport (BGY), Italy, after four of its tires burst as it landed on the runway at the airport on October 1.
Burst tires
According to a statement the airport issued shortly after the incident, the Ryanair 737 MAX 8-200, registered as EI-IGI, was operating flight FR846 from Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN) to Bergamo, also known as Milan Bergamo Airport
.
The flight departed Barcelona at 6:42 local time (UTC +2) and landed in Bergamo at 7:55 local time (UTC +2).
As the aircraft landed on the airport’s sole runway, “four tires of the rear undercarriage” burst, forcing the 737 MAX 8-200
to stop on the runway.
Photo: Ceri Breeze | Shutterstock
However, the statement, which was published on X, formerly known as Twitter, reiterated that the incident did not cause any injuries onboard the aircraft.
All passengers and crew were evacuated with the help of the Orio al Serio – the local municipality – Fire Department Detachment, allowing passengers to disembark the aircraft. They were later escorted to the terminal, the airport added.
In a statement to Simple Flying, a Ryanair spokesperson affirmed that the 737 MAX 8-200 experienced a tire issue upon landing in Bergamo.
“Passengers disembarked normally, and the aircraft was inspected by engineers, who are servicing the aircraft so that it can return to service.”
Damaged runway
However, the airport’s statement added that since the 737 MAX 8-200 was stranded on the runway, it had issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) to close down its only runway.
Initially, the Milan Bergamo Airport had planned to reopen the runway no earlier than 17:00, with the statement adding that departing flights were delayed and arriving flights were diverted or canceled.
“The tire blowout caused 450 meters [0.27 miles] of damage to the runway. The damage superficially affected the pavement, which is nicked to a depth of about one centimeter [0.39 inches].”
As a result, it was necessary to repair the runway, with the airport calling the help of an “entrusted specialized firm” that would enable it to open traffic to Milan Bergamo Airport once again.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
The airport warned that the reopening of the runway was subject to the removal of the aircraft and the completion of the pavement restoration work.
Flight disruptions at Milan Bergamo Airport
While the airport initially planned to open the runway for operations no later than 17:00 local time, subsequent updates pushed that deadline to 18:00 and then to 20:00.
However, Milan Bergamo Airport resumed operations at 19:30. The first flight to land at the airport was a Norwegian flight D82940 from Helsinki Airport (HEL), which landed at 19:42, according to Flightradar24.
The Ryanair 737 MAX 8-200 has remained on the ground at the airport, with no scheduled departures out of the Italian city as of now, the flight tracking website’s schedules showed.
Since the tire burst incident at 7:55, at least 25 flights had diverted to different airports in the area, including two airports serving Milan, Italy, namely Linate Airport (LIN) and Malpensa Airport (MXP).
Other diversion points included Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ), Turin Caselle Airport (TRN), Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), and Verona Airport (VRN).
However, Ryanair had also canceled six flights that were scheduled to land just after midnight on October 2.
