A MAN has reportedly been sucked into a plane engine and killed on an airport runway in Milan.

Operations at the busy Orio al Serio Airport, popularly known as Milano Bergamo, came to a halt at 10.20am after a “fatal accident” on the tarmac.

According to Corriere della Sera, the victim was not a passenger or airport staff member.

The person believed to have run onto the tarmac and into the path of an aircraft that was taxing for takeoff, the Italian paper reported.

Sources at the airport informed the outlet about a terrifying incident where an individual was sucked into the plane’s engine while the aircraft was getting ready to take off.

The airline involved has not yet been named.

The airport operator, SACBO, acknowledged an “issue that occurred on the taxiway” and mentioned that “authorities are currently probing into the causes of the issue.”

Flight operations at Orio al Serio have been suspended since the moment of the incident, with a cascading effect on travel across the region.

By 11.50am local time, a total of nine flights had already been diverted – one to Bologna, two to Verona, and six rerouted to Milan Malpensa.

Eight departures were also cancelled outriught.

The last flight to take off, a Volotea service to Asturias, left at 10.20am.

It is not yet known when operations at Milano Bergamo Aiport will return to normal.

The airport’s official X account announced the suspension of operations: “SACBO reports that flight activities at Milan Bergamo Airport were halted at 10:20 am due to an issue that arose on the taxiway.”

The causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities.”

“The area remains cordoned off as authorities work to determine how the man was able to breach security and get so close to a moving aircraft.