Fire on aircraft forces evacuation at Milan Malpensa Airport, two lightly injured
Why It MattersThe incident underscores how quickly airports must suspend operations and how evacuation procedures, even when fully activated, still carry a residual injury risk for passengers.
What happened
A fire broke out on an aircraft carrying 146 passengers at Milan Malpensa Airport, prompting a temporary closure of the airport to traffic. The incident occurred at 5:31 PM local time as the aircraft was taxiing along an airport connector route.
Emergency procedures were activated immediately, and passengers were evacuated using the aircraft's emergency slides. All 146 passengers escaped unharmed except for two individuals, who sustained minor injuries during the evacuation. Airport operations were temporarily suspended to allow safety protocols to be carried out.
Industry impact & what to watch
An in-taxi fire that triggers a full slide evacuation is exactly the scenario ground and cabin crew drill for, and the outcome here — 146 people off the aircraft with only two minor injuries — reflects how those procedures are designed to work under pressure.
Airport suspensions of this kind are standard once an aircraft fire is reported on movement areas, since emergency vehicles and crews need unobstructed access to the taxiway and the evacuation zone before other traffic can resume. The length of any such suspension typically tracks how quickly the aircraft can be secured and cleared rather than the severity of the injuries reported.
What remains to be established is the cause of the fire and whether the aircraft type or route involved will draw further scrutiny once investigators examine the taxiway incident.
