The man who was killed after being sucked into the engine of a plane heading to Spain has been named as Andrea Russo.
The 35-year-old, from Calcinate, near Bergamo, ran onto the runway in Milan and headed towards a Volotea A319 passenger plane that was preparing to take off for Oviedo, Asturias.
According to Italian reports, Russo drove to the airport on Tuesday morning and left his orange Fiat 500 parked with the keys in the ignition in front of the arrivals terminal.
Investigators believe Russo had planned what to do in advance, knowing that the easiest way to access the airport was through the arrivals area, which had less security than departures.
He waited until the security doors to access the runway opened and ran towards them, bashing one of them with his shoulder.
Security quickly sounded the alarm and began running after him. Russo is then said to have run towards the Volotea plane’s left engine, which he was sucked into.
Following the tragic event, the airport temporarily suspended operations (for almost six hours) while authorities tried to clarify what happened and prepare for normal operations.
The Italian Prosecutor’s Office is already investigating what happened as a suicide, based on all the evidence.
Prosecutor Maurizio Romanelli told Corriere della Sera that his department is trying to ‘reconstruct the details of the victim’s personality and his final hours’, as well as understand how he was able to break into the airport with ease, whether it was a premeditated or improvised action, and the possible involvement of third parties in pushing Russo to commit suicide.
According to Italian media reports, Russo (born in 1990) spent time in rehabilitation centres in his youth to combat drug addiction, from which he recovered.
Those who knew him say that Russo was ‘a good person trying to rebuild his life.’
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
