British passengers have described chaotic scenes after “all four” tires on a Ryanair plane exploded upon landing in Italy.
Arrival and departure flights have been suspended at Bergamo’s Orio al Serio airport, near Milan, after the incident that occurred with the flight from Barcelona.
Dramatic images show the airliner with missing tires and crushed metal wheels after an apparent collision on the runway, which was also damaged.
Spectators who had been on another flight claimed their pilot told them it happened due to a “bad landing”, although this has not been confirmed by the airline or the airport.
Alice Longhurst, a London marketing consultant, said: “You could smell the burning rubber on the plane. That was quite scary.
‘We were ready to leave and there were scary flames. I was shocked. I had never experienced anything like this before.
Ryanair flight FR846 arriving from Barcelona El Prat, on the runway at Orio al Serio airport, in Bergamo, Italy
Stunning images show one of the Ryanair plane’s burst tires
Passengers wait for their flights at Orio al Serio airport after the closure of Milan-Bergamo airport over the incident
“They told us to wait a couple of hours and then they took us off the plane,” the 35-year-old continued.
He is currently waiting at Bergamo airport and said he was told to expect delays of at least six hours.
Cleanup operations are reported to be underway after the runway was damaged.
Emergency services attended the scene, but no one is believed to have been injured.
Airport authorities have reportedly said they will not operate flights until at least 5 p.m. local time.
Incoming flights were diverted to other airports, including Milan Malpensa and Verona, Sky Italia reports.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Flight FR846 from Barcelona to Milan Bergamo (1 October) experienced a tire problem when landing at Milan Bergamo Airport.
“The passengers disembarked normally and the aircraft was inspected by engineers, who are currently carrying out maintenance on the aircraft so that it can return to service.”
Emergency services go to the scene of the dramatic landing on Tuesday.
Airport authorities said in separate comments: ‘SACBO (the company that manages the airport) reports that due to a plane being grounded on the runway due to technical problems, operations are suspended.
“Departing flights are delayed and arriving flights may be diverted or canceled until reopening.”