Budget airline jet almost dives into sea at 482 km/h after Italy take-off, barely pulls up 60 metres above water

An Air Arabia plane almost crashed into the sea at 482 kilometres per hour after taking off in Italy on Sep. 20, 2025.

Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the incident, which took place 11 seconds after take-off at 11:57pm (5:57am SGT), saw the United Arab Emirates budget airline nearly plummeting into the sea.

The Airbus A320, which took off from Catania Airport, barely managed to pull up at 60.9 metres above the water.

Warning system activated

The plane then managed to regain altitude and continue its flight from Catania to Jordan's capital of Amman.

The plane landed at 2:52am (7:52am SGT).

Catania is the second largest city on the Italian island of Sicily.

As a result, the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) pull-up message was activated shortly after take-off, according to the Italian National Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV).

The GPWS is the system that issues an alarm in the event of a risk of collision with terrain.

No passengers onboard

There were supposedly only two pilots and four flight attendants on board with no passengers, Corriere della Sera reported.

In addition, the weather was said to be good during take-off.

Investigation

ANSV has opened an investigation into the incident.

This is because the agency classified the incident as a "serious incident".

The Daily Mail reported that pilots will be required to explain their version of events.

This will then be cross-referenced with data from onboard systems.

According to the Khaleej Times, an Air Arabia Maroc spokesperson confirmed that they are aware of the investigation and are fully cooperating.

Corriere della Sera asked two pilots for their thoughts on the matter.

They said they struggled to explain the sudden descent.

They said this is unless they encountered a bird strike, "which would certainly have forced a return".

Top photos from Corriere della Sera