Prishtina Airport

Car on runway: Airbus narrowly escapes disaster

An Easyjet Airbus A320 narrowly escaped a collision with a car at the international airport of Kosovo's capital Prishtina. The airport vehicle was on the runway when the aircraft took off for Geneva. 

The incident occurred on June 20. This is according to a statement published by the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) on Friday.

The Airbus with the Swiss registration number HB-JXF was cleared to take off from runway 35 shortly after 5 p.m. local time. It was on its way to Geneva. At the same time, a vehicle belonging to the airport was parked at the other end of the runway.

The landing gear was still extended
According to the press release, the aircraft flew over the car at a sufficient height. A collision was therefore avoided - even though the landing gear was still extended, according to the two pilots.

Investigation initiated
The STSB did not state how many people were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident. The Airbus in question has space for 186 passengers. The responsible aviation commission in Kosovo has also launched an investigation.