Pegasus Airlines aircraft enters Frankfurt runway in wrong direction

A Pegasus Airlines Airbus A321 caused a security incident at Frankfurt Airport when it entered a runway in the wrong direction. The aircraft, bound for Istanbul, was cleared for takeoff in a southern direction on runway 18 but instead rolled northwards at the assigned taxiway.

Air traffic controllers from Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) intervened immediately, noticing the error and instructing the pilots to abort the takeoff. The aircraft was traveling at approximately 65 km/h when the maneuver was halted. DFS described the event as “really extraordinary,” noting that such occurrences are rare in Germany, though they emphasized that there was no acute danger as the situation was brought under control quickly.

The incident has been reported to the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) for review. While Pegasus Airlines acknowledged a pilot error, the airline disputed certain reports, specifically stating that there was no attempt to initiate a takeoff in the wrong direction. The aircraft successfully departed in the correct direction seven minutes after the incident.