Why This Caribbean Airport Forces Planes to Skim the Beach at Landing
Some of the world's airports have truly terrifying runways, and video footage showed a KLM Boeing 747 landing at the spectacular Princess Juliana International Airport runway on St. Maarten at Maho Beach.
Located in the Caribbean, the island is a popular tourist destination, but the airport itself could be the main attraction.
Thanks to the edge of the runway being so close to the sea, aircraft have to come in very low to get the landing right.
As the footage of the KLM Boeing 747 showed, beachgoers take a lot of delight in watching the aircraft land.
What the KLM Boeing 747 footage shows us
The video, posted by Ryan Atfield, shows the Boeing 747 on its final approach to the airport.
In it, we can see it come in low and slow before flying right over the heads of those having fun on the beach.
Virtually every single person on that beach was watching the airliner land.
It gives us a great idea of what it's like to actually be there and watch these aircraft land.
The nature of the runway means the aircraft only just skims over the top of people's heads before touching down.
Why do planes arriving at St. Maarten land like this?
The topography and nature of the island are why aircraft have to land like this at St. Maarten.
The Princess Juliana International Airport's runway is super close to the shore at Maho Beach.
By that, we mean really close, with only that small stretch of beach separating the runway from the ocean.
With the hilly terrain, aircraft have to approach the runway tightly as well.
That requires the low-altitude approach to the famous airport.
Despite the risky nature of the landings, nothing has ever caused harm to those who watch from the beach.
In fact, a trip to the island isn't really complete without watching all these airliners swoop overhead.
Long may this incredible sight continue.
