A major airport in Europe has been hit by chaos after a plane was involved in an incident. Franjo Tuđman Airport in Zagreb, in Croatia, was forced to close to all air traffic on Sunday afternoon (June 8) for almost 10 hours following an incident involving a private jet.
A total of 59 flights were cancelled and people reported having to sleep on the floor following the incident. A Cessna 525 aircraft, operated by Air Pannonia and registered as 9A-JIM, skidded off the runway onto the grass while landing at 3.21pm local time.
According to preliminary reports, a tyre reportedly burst upon landing, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway and come to a halt on the adjacent grass surface. No passengers or crew were injured in the incident, which had arrived from Milan Linate Airport. Officials apologised to passengers for delays and disruptions, with flight operations resuming just under 10 hours later. However, frustrated visitors in the airport are still reporting chaos at the airport with little support from airport authorities.
The founder of Air Pannonia, Miroslav Vlašić, said in a statement: “We provided our own private equipment to help remove the aircraft from the runway. One of the tires had burst, making it impossible to tow the plane, and Zagreb Airport doesn’t have the necessary equipment for such a situation. In fact, they even contacted Civil Protection, but they too lacked the required tools”.
He added that it is unfair for his company to be blamed for the flight delays, stressing that the situation could have been resolved much sooner if the airport had the proper equipment available to handle such incidents, according to ex-yu aviation news.
Several Sunday afternoon flights scheduled to land at Zagreb Airport were diverted due to the incident. This included Ryanair’s flight from Rome, which was diverted to Vienna, and its flight from Alicante and Weeze, which landed in Zadar. Disruptions are expected to continue into late Monday morning.
While Zagreb appears to have reopened at around 1am local time on Monday (June 9), tourists at the airport are still reporting chaos. According to one on X this morning, dozens of passengers sleep on the airport floor and have been stuck airside for over 15 hours. Another said their flight had been moved from 10pm last night to the next morning, with pregnant women and toddlers sitting waiting.
“Still at the airport with no accommodation or accountability. Nobody is here, to handle the situations,” they said.
“#ZagrebAirport experience is hell,” wrote a third. “Not even coffee left at the only shop after the customs. We can’t leave the zone, no info is given.”
Croatia Airlines, the airport’s main operator, has not issued any public statement regarding the incident or the status of its flights.
The Express has contacted Zagreb Airport for comment, who said: “Zagreb Airport was closed to traffic from June 8, 2025, at 3:21 PM until June 9, 2025, at 12:51 AM due to the skidding of an Air Panonia aircraft, type Cessna 525, registration 9A-JIM, onto a grassy area beside the runway. The aircraft had no passengers, and none of the crew members were injured.
“There was no emergency alert declared at the airport. According to procedure for such incidents, an investigation had to be conducted first, followed by the aircraft recovery process. Since the damaged aircraft came to a stop on a dirt surface near the edge of the runway, the recovery process was complex and required specialized equipment and additional time to prevent further damage.
“Zagreb Airport is equipped with the necessary technical resources for regular traffic operations, and in cases like this, procedures are in place that involve coordination and assistance from external services.
“We extend our gratitude to the Public Fire Department of Velika Gorica for their coordination and assistance.
During the airport’s closure, a total of 59 flights were cancelled: 28 departures and 31 arrivals. As of this morning, operations have resumed according to the flight schedule.
“Zagreb International Airport regrets the inconvenience experienced by passengers due to this incident.”