Car collides with plane at Milan airport

A ground services vehicle, a Fiat Panda, collided with a private plane on the apron of Milan's Linate airport. The incident occurred on Monday, August 10, at around 11:20 a.m., as the plane was moving towards the runway after receiving clearance from the control tower.

The aircraft, a Hawker Beechcraft 400XP, was hit in the front by the vehicle, which belonged to the company that provides ground services at the airport. Both the aircraft and the vehicle suffered damage, while the driver of the Fiat Panda is not reported to have suffered any physical injuries.

Following the collision, airport operations were suspended for around 30 to 40 minutes while emergency crews and authorities carried out checks at the incident site. At least two arriving flights were temporarily diverted to Bergamo and Milan-Malpensa airports.

The causes of the crash remain under investigation. Authorities are looking into whether the incident could have been caused by a sudden health problem, driver distraction, or other human or technical factors. So far, none of these clues have been officially confirmed.

The incident has brought attention back to the safety of vehicles circulating in airport operational areas. Authorities are expected to verify whether communication, signaling and vehicle movement procedures near aircraft have been respected.

Linate Airport has a troubled safety record. In 2001, a Scandinavian Airlines MD-87 collided with a private Cessna Citation during takeoff, killing 118 people. Italian authorities are expected to launch a full investigation to determine who was responsible and what caused the latest incident. /Telegraph/