American Airlines Plane Too Big to Land at Airport in Naples, Italy
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NEED TO KNOW
- An American Airlines flight from the U.S. to Naples, Italy, was diverted to Rome because it was to big to land on June 2
- The flight was diverted away from Naples International Airport to Rome Fiumicino Airport “due to operational limitations,” a spokesperson for American Airlines told PEOPLE
- Passengers then boarded a bus in Rome to get to Naples
American Airlines passengers en route to Italy ran into an unusual obstacle.
The passengers on a transatlantic flight from the U.S. to Italy on June 2 needed to be rerouted because their plane was too big to land at Naples International Airport, Business Insider initially reported.
An American Airlines spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE that American Airlines flight 780, which departed Philadelphia International Airport, was diverted to Rome Fiumicino Airport “due to operational limitations.”
“Customers traveled from [Rome] to [Naples] by bus, and we apologize to them for this disruption to their journey,” the spokesperson added, explaining how the passengers reached their intended destination.
Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty
Driving from Rome to Naples takes roughly three hours to complete.
PEOPLE reached out to Naples International Airport and Rome Fiumicino Airport for comment on June 7, but did not immediately hear back.
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Data showed that the plane diverted after seven hours as it flew over the Tyrrhenian Sea, west of the Italian mainland, a considerable distance from the Naples International Airport, per Business Insider.
An aviation enthusiast, who goes by the handle of @ JonNYC on X, first flagged news of the incident on June 5, and posted that the plane didn’t have approval by the airport to land.
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