Air Serbia flight sustains heavy damage during take-off at Belgrade airport

The plane made contact with the approach lights while leaving the airport's tarmac, which resulted in severe damage to the fuselage and wing. As a result, an immediate return to Belgrade was necessary. The landing procedure took nearly an hour because the aircraft had to burn off excess fuel and perform a low pass over the runway. This allowed the ground crew to evaluate the extent of the damage to the airplane.

Ultimately, the Embraer landed safely in Belgrade and was met by rescue services.

The exact circumstances under which the plane ended up touching the approach lights are still under investigation. Preliminary statements and recorded conversations between the pilot and air traffic control indicate that the pilot may have chosen not to use the entire length of the runway, contrary to warnings from air traffic control. The Direkciya Civilnog Vazduhoplovstva Srbije, along with other relevant bodies, is currently conducting an in-depth investigation.

This serious incident involved a plane operated by the Greek airline Marathon Airlines, including both the flight and ground crew.

The flight was carrying 106 passengers, thankfully, none of whom were injured. Air Serbia released a brief statement, saying: "The plane landed safely at the airport in Belgrade. Air Serbia apologises for the inconvenience caused and is doing everything within its power to resume the flight as quickly as possible. At no point was the safety of the passengers threatened".