A Eurowings Airbus A320 encountered severe wake turbulence from an Airbus A380 while cruising over Bosnia-Herzegovina near Sarajevo on May 30, 2026. The aircraft was flying at around flight level 390 when it passed through the A380’s wake vortices, triggering a sudden and violent upset.
The incident caused a significant loss of altitude and left several people with minor injuries on board. It has been classified as a serious wake turbulence event and is under investigation by the relevant authorities.
The A380 was flying above and ahead of the Eurowings jet, but the airline operating the larger aircraft has not been publicly identified in the available reporting. Key operational details, including the A320’s registration, flight number, departure and destination, remain unconfirmed.
Wake turbulence is caused by wingtip vortices and is a known hazard, particularly behind large aircraft such as the Airbus A380. While standard separation rules reduce the risk, rare encounters can still occur in cruise flight when flight paths align in unfavorable conditions.