A significant operational disruption at Italy’s Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport (BGY) left thousands of passengers stranded overnight Saturday into Sunday. The airport, a major hub for Ryanair serving the Milan region, was forced to suspend all flight operations due to a critical confluence of adverse weather and a technical malfunction.
The primary cause of the halt was identified as a failure within the instrument landing system (ILS), a crucial navigational aid that guides aircraft during low-visibility approaches. This technical issue was severely compounded by poor weather conditions, including dense fog, which rendered visual landings unsafe. SACBO, the airport’s operating company, confirmed the technical fault was rectified by approximately midnight. However, the airport’s official website continued to issue advisories warning travelers of potential ongoing delays and cancellations throughout Sunday.
According to reports from Italian media, the cascading effects of the shutdown were substantial. A total of 26 departing flights were canceled outright. Furthermore, six inbound flights were diverted to alternative airports, while an additional seven flights were officially rescheduled for the following day. With all movement suspended, travelers had no choice but to bed down inside the terminal. Circulated images depicted a scene of widespread inconvenience, with passengers sleeping on floors and even atop airport baggage carousels in an attempt to rest.
The Corriere della Sera daily reported that the initial flight suspensions began around 6:00 PM local time (1700 GMT) on Saturday. By Sunday morning, the airport’s real-time flight status board displayed a lengthy catalog of disruptions, predominantly affecting Ryanair’s schedule. While some flights, including a delayed service to Cagliari and a Neos airline flight to Sharm-el-Sheikh, managed to depart later in the morning, the backlog of passengers and aircraft indicated that full operational normality would take time to restore.