When it comes to plane watching and seeing commercial jets up close, nothing will top the St Martin Airport landing…
The island (which is also known by the Dutch name of St Maarten) is home to the Princess Juliana International Airport and tourists flock to Maho Beach to watch planes take off and landing at insanely close quarters.
One word of warning though, is that a tourist was actually killed in 2017Â by the engine blast from a plane taking off – changes have been made around security and how close you can get to the runway ever since.
What’s so special about St Martin Airport Landing?
The most impressive sight is seeing the KLM 747 land, which brings tourists from Amsterdam. It feels so low that you could almost reach up and touch it.
The view from the cockpit
This video shows the view from the cockpit. Although the tourists get to see an impressive sight, the pilots must keep their concentration as the landing is short and one of the most challenging in the world.
Photos from Maho Beach:
Although the security has tightened up in recent times after the tragic death of a tourist ,there are still plenty of people trying to get that unique holiday shot…
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Interesting Facts: St Martin Airport Landing
- You can call the island either St Martin (French) or St Maarten (Dutch)
- The airport is on the Dutch side of the island
- It handles 1,829,543 passengers per year
- The airport opened during the 2nd world war to help the US war effort
- It was wrecked on 6 September 2017 by a hurricane but was quickly reopened
- The runway is 45 m wide
- Main apron measures 72,500 square metres
More reading about St Martin Airport Landing…
US Military plane bringing supplies after the hurricane
