Accident at Krakow Airport: Operations are halted at Krakow Airport as an aircraft overruns the runway in torrential weather.

 Operations at Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK) have been suspended until at least this evening after an AirExplore-operated aircraft went off the runway earlier today.

The Boeing 737-800, operating flight E47030 for Enter Air, a Polish charter airline, crashed off the end of Runway 25 due to severe weather shortly after 2:00 p.m. local time.

According to early accounts, the flight was carrying tourists from Antalya, Turkey, back to Poland. The plane overran the runway after failing to fully stop on the paved surface during its rainy landing in Kraków.

The plane, which was registered as OM-FEX, touched down in the grassy, unpaved area adjacent to the runway. Fortunately, none of the passengers or employees were injured when they left, despite the fact that emergency professionals were dispatched immediately.

Even though the incident involved an aircraft leased from the Slovak charter company AirExplore, Enter Air stated that going forward, flights on the Antalya–Kraków route will still utilize aircraft from Enter Air's own fleet. The company expressed gratitude that no one on board was hurt in the incident and emphasized that passenger safety remains its top priority.

Authorities have since suspended all flight operations at Kraków Airport; Eurocontrol reports that arrivals and departures will not be permitted until at least 20:00 UTC.

While the aircraft is grounded, investigators can assess the aircraft's position, do runway safety checks, and begin the process of determining what caused the mishap. Officials believe that severe rains at the time of landing had a major impact, but they have not ruled out other contributing elements including pilot decision-making, brake performance, or runway surface conditions.

The temporary closure has caused significant disruptions to flight schedules. A number of incoming planes have been diverted to other airports, such as Katowice and Warsaw, and outbound flights have been canceled or delayed. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for the most up-to-date travel information, as recovery activities and any follow-up investigations may affect the airport's reopening timeline.

A spokesman of Kraków Airport reassured the public in a statement that airport safety is the top priority:

"The most crucial finding is that all passengers and crew are safe, even though this incident has unavoidably disrupted travel. To determine the reason of the runway excursion, we are collaborating with aviation authorities and investigators.

Although very rare, runway excursions are among the most prevalent landing-related activities in the world. Because of poor braking conditions, reduced vision, and other reasons, pilots often encounter significant challenges when landing on wet or filthy runways, according to aviation experts.