Oops: Scandinavian Airlines A320 Crew Accidentally Attempts Taxiway Takeoff

Airports can be confusing sometimes. At least that’s what I tell myself when I’m playing Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Brussels Airport officials are now investigating a serious incident involving Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight SK2590 that was destined to Copenhagen (CPH). On January 5, 2026, the Airbus A320neo-operated flight (registered SE-ROM) pushed back from the gate a few minutes before 10 p.m. local time, and was instructed to taxi to runway 07 Right for departure.

According to ADS-B data, the pilots erroneously made a left turn onto the parallel taxiway thinking they were on runway 07R, and commenced their take off roll. The aircraft hit speeds of up to 107 knots before they performed a rejected take off, covering a distance of just under 3,000 feet in that time frame.

The pilots later taxied the aircraft back to the terminal, and passengers were deplaned while engineers inspected the braking system, which would have become extremely hot as a result of the rejected take off.  Thankfully no one was injured, and SAS has said the incident is now under investigation.

In a statement to media, a spokesperson said:

“Safety is our absolute priority. We are currently conducting a thorough internal investigation alongside local authorities to understand the sequence of events.”

At the time of the event, there was no weather to talk about at the airport, with visibility being reported as “Greater than 10 km” according to the Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR).

I’m curious how something like this would still happen? With various technologies such as moving maps, Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS), Runway Entrance Lights and our eyes, how do things like this still happen? Until the matter is properly investigated, we will just have to wait to find out how these pilots made this mistake.

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