Passenger jet hits equipment on takeoff from Belgrade airport and is forced to make emergency return

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A passenger jet with 106 people on board had to return to the Belgrade airport after it hit runway equipment and sustained severe damage shortly after takeoff from the Serbian capital. Reports on Monday said there were no injuries. The Embraer E-195 was on route to Dusseldorf in Germany on Sunday afternoon. The aircraft belongs to Greek charter company Marathon Airlines, which is currently operating several aircraft on behalf of Serbian national carrier, AirSerbia, on long-term basis. Live tracker Flightradar24 said the flight JU324 lined up at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport on one of the intersecting taxiways more than halfway down the runway, indicating it did not have enough distance for a safe takeoff.