Split Airport temporarily suspended operations yesterday afternoon after an Iberia Airbus A320 aircraft sustained damage to its nose landing gear while arriving from Madrid. Flight IB945 landed at 16:22 local time on August 1 but became immobilised on the runway after a tyre on the nose gear burst. The aircraft, registered EC-IZH, was carrying 172 passengers and six crew members. “All passengers disembarked safely and were taken to the passenger terminal to collect their baggage and continue their journeys. The runway was temporarily closed while the aircraft was being removed and the conditions necessary for the resumption of air traffic were being secured”, Split Airport spokesperson, Mate Melvan, said.
Croatia’s Air, Maritime and Railway Traffic Accidents Investigation Agency has classified the occurrence as a serious incident and has opened a safety investigation. The agency said it had been notified immediately by Split Airport and the Croatian Interior Ministry’s operations and communications centre. The investigation will seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the damage to the nose landing gear. The aircraft remained on the runway following the incident, forcing the airport to suspend all arrivals and departures while technical teams worked to remove it. The runway was subsequently inspected and cleared of any potential debris before reopening at approximately 18:30, just over two hours after the incident.
The closure resulted in delays, cancellations and diversions during one of the busiest weekends of the summer travel season. A Eurowings service from Cologne was redirected to Zagreb, while Croatia Airlines flights from Lyon and Berlin and a Wizz Air service from Katowice diverted to Zadar. Two easyJet flights from London Gatwick and Luton were redirected to Dubrovnik. The incident also resulted in considerable congestion inside Split Airport’s terminal, where some affected passengers reportedly waited for up to five hours.
It marked Split Airport’s second major operational disruption within 24 hours. Traffic had been suspended for approximately two hours the previous evening due to repeated drone activity near the runway, which also resulted in delays, cancellations and significant congestion inside the terminal.
