Travel chaos for Irish tourists as flights suspended at busy European airports
Air traffic at Milan's Bergamo Airport was halted for a number of hours on Tuesday after a person died during a fatal accident on the taxiway.
Police and firefighters responded to the scene at the airport following reports that a man was sucked into the engine of a departing plane and killed .
Orio al Serio Airport, Milan Bergamo, cancelled all flights on Tuesday morning "due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway," a spokesperson said in a post shared on the airport's official social media channels, adding "the causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities."
The Bergamo Milan airport authority, known as SACBO, closed the airport at 10.20am local time, resulting in the cancellation of at least eight departing flights, while arriving flights were diverted to other airports in the region, including those in Bologna, Verona and Milan Malpensa.
Air traffic resumed at 12pm, but there are still some delays.
A Ryanair flight due to depart Dublin Airport for Bergamo Milan airport at 4.30pm on Tuesday evening currently remains on schedule, with passengers encouraged to check their flight status with their carrier.
A flight from Milan remains on schedule to arrive in Dublin shortly before 10pm this evening, although passengers travelling from the Italian city are being warned to expect delays.
Meanwhile a fast-moving wildfire in southern France has forced the closure of Marseille Provence airport.
Aircrafts have been stopped from taking off or landing since around midday and some flights have been diverted to Nice, Nimes and other regional airports, a spokesperson for the airport said.
Footage shared on social media show massive plumes of smoke arising from Marseille Forest in Marseille, France, where a fire has broken out near the community's local airport.
Locals in the affected areas have been urged to stay indoors and off the roads as some 168 firefighters, two helicopters and 68 engines have been deployed to tackle the blaze, which broke out in the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau
An Aer Lingus flight due to depart Dublin Airport for Marseille Provence this afternoon has been delayed by 90 minutes as a result of the wildfires, while a flight set to arrive in the Irish capital from the French city shortly after 7pm this evening has also been delayed.
A Ryanair flight travelling from Marseille remains on schedule to arrive in Dublin at 12.40am on Wednesday.
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