The island of Saint Maarten (some use the name Sint Maarten) and its airport are located in the Caribbean Sea, which is one of the most popular tourist regions in the world. Almost every island that can be reached with comfort has development potential. There are two main ways to solve the delivery of passengers: ship or plane.
At the same time, sea and ocean cruises create a much smaller part of the flow of tourists compared to air transport. But the cost and complexity of the infrastructure of air harbors is much higher and sometimes requires non-standard solutions from engineers and architects.
The island of St. Martin from the Lesser Antilles archipelago has one of the most interesting airports in the world (included in the top 10 in terms of danger rating, according to Reuters). It also plays a large role in the transport provision of nearby territories: St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Barthélemy and Anguilla.
Princess Juliana Airport (full official name) has the ability to receive even large Boeing 747 class aircraft, although the runway, with a normal width of 45 m, is only 2300 m long, which is the maximum allowable value for some types of liners. In this regard, takeoff and landing, taking place on a 3 ° glide path, are considered the most dangerous in the Caribbean region.
The construction of the airport began with the construction of an air force base as early as 1942. Although already in 1943, due to the lack of hostilities in the region during the Second World War, it was converted into a civilian one. After 1964, it was reconstructed with a new control tower and terminal. After 1985, it was upgraded, so it began to be able to accept long-haul aircraft classes and fully correspond to the high development of tourism in Sint Maarten.
Features of the air harbor
Here you can talk about a variety of factors.
The island has a relatively small area - only 87 km², with a predominantly hilly terrain and tropical thickets.
The island is divided by different states: the northern part is the French overseas community of Saint Martin, the southern part is the autonomous entity of Sint Maarten, subordinate to the Dutch crown.
Only after 1994 was the Franco-Dutch border control protocol signed. The landing strip with its end rests on Maho Beach in the west of the Dutch part. Airplanes land and take off directly above the heads of tourists, 10-20 m above the surface.
Spectacular photographs and videos with aircraft bring incredible popularity to Princess Juliana among other airports in the world. Nearby there are several cafes and hotels that specialize in the most famous view of the island. A loudspeaker is installed on the beach, which reports about the planes coming in for landing, and broadcasts the conversations of the controllers and the crew.
In the central part of Maho, wind speeds can reach 180 km/h, which can be very dangerous and even deadly for humans, but this does not stop curious tourists who try to take vivid photos and videos with air liners.
In 2012, noted photographer Josef Hoeflener published black-and-white spotter images of the airport's surroundings, including them in the book Jetliner: The Complete Works.
Infrastructure
The location and topography of the island of Sint Maarten did not imply the construction of a full-fledged runway. Therefore, it was decided to build the minimum acceptable length of the strip for long-haul liners (for example, 747). At the same time, the width was increased to 45 m. Radar systems provide a range of up to 460 km. The throughput is thus up to 30 flights per hour.
The dispatch service also provides control over other small airports in this zone: Clayton J. Lloyd, L'Espérance, Gustaf III. The 30,500 m² terminal can serve up to 2,500,000 passengers per year. In the entire history of the airport, not a single disaster has been recorded, although this runway is considered one of the most difficult for airline crews and dispatch services.
Photos and videos from Sint Maarten airport
View of the island of Sint Maarten
Princess Juliana airport runway
The landing strip with its end rests on Maho Beach in the west of the Dutch part. Airplanes land and take off directly above the heads of tourists, 10-20 m above the surface.
For those who are afraid to fly :)
1. Princess Juliana International Airport, Fr. Saint Martin
This post has been translated and compiled specifically for Pikabu.ru (you finally go to it :))), just kidding :) in fact, we are growing and prospering)
Princess Juliana International Airport serves Sint Martin, the Dutch part of Saint Maarten. It is the second busiest airport in the Eastern Caribbean. The runway is only 2,180 meters long, barely enough for large airliners. Pilots have to land very low, right over Maho Beach.
That's why this place is so popular with planespotters. It is difficult to believe in the authenticity of the pictures of giant liners flying at a height of 10-20 meters above sunbathing tourists, however, they are real. Despite difficult take-off and landing conditions, not a single accident has been recorded at this airport so far.
And here is the video of the landing:
2. Huancho Airport - Irauskin, Saba Island
Juancho Airport is the only airport on the Caribbean island of Saba, Netherlands Antilles. It is widely known among experienced pilots due to the size of the runway.
Juancho Airport occupies a fairly large part of the small island of Saba. Some experts are of the opinion that the airport is one of the most dangerous in the world, despite the fact that no accidents have occurred here. There is an X on each side of the runway to indicate that the airport is closed to commercial aviation.
The threat is the location of the airport. On the one hand, high mountains, and on the other - the sea and sheer cliffs. The danger is that when landing or taking off, the aircraft may go off the runway.
3. Courchevel Airport
Courchevel is the largest ski resort in the world, located in the French Alps. Courchevel Airport is notorious in aviation for its short runway, 525 m (1,722 ft) long and 18.5% incline. You have to land and take off on a slope to set the required speed.
Who can land here? Well, Pierce Brosnan would make that small list. It is this airport that is shown at the beginning of the movie "Tomorrow Never Dies". For the rest, the only way to get here is by private planes, helicopters, charter flights. Pilots go through extensive training to land in the CVF.
You can skip right to the 4th minute, before that there are a lot of conversations and a flight. And landing, judging by the video, is really very difficult ...
4. Gustav III Airport, St. Barthélemy
Gustav III Public Airport is located in Saint-Jean on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy. Most passenger planes, such as the Twin Otter, carry less than twenty passengers and are designed to give vacationers a glimpse of the island from above. A short runway runs down the slope and ends right at the beach. Airplanes take off over the heads of tourists, everywhere there are signs prohibiting being at the end of the runway.
And here crash aircraft at this airport
5. Barra International Airport
Barra Airport is the only airport in the world where planes land on the beach. The airport is located on the wide beach of Tri More, on the Isle of Barra, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. If you want to get here on a commercial plane, you can book tickets from British Airways, there are flights to Barra from Glasgow and Benbecula.
The airport literally floods with high tide once a day. If you arrive in the evening, you will notice several cars in the parking lot with their headlights on. This is additional lighting, as the airport is not designed for night flights. You probably don't want to walk along the beach at Barra Airport, unless you're a fan of aviation. For such cases, signs are placed everywhere: “When the windsock is up and the airport is working, it is forbidden to be on the beach.”
landed right on the beach)) looks unusual)
6. Madeira Airport (Portugal)
Madeira International Airport, also known as Funchal Airport and Santa Catarina Airport. It operates national and international air services on the island of Madeira. Madeira Airport is considered one of the most dangerous because of the short runway surrounded by high mountains and the ocean. This arrangement and the length of the runway makes landing very difficult for even the most experienced pilots.
Previously, the runway was only 1400 m long, but after a plane crash in 1977, it was decided to increase the length of the runway by 400 m. reinforced concrete pillars about 70m high
For the expansion of the new runway, Funchal Airport received the Outstanding Structures award from the international association IABSE. In Portugal, this award is considered the "Oscars" of engineering.
7. Lukla Airport, Nepal
A huge mountain on one side, and a kilometer cliff on the other. And this is at an altitude of 2900 m, not so much depends on you.
Lukla Airport is a small airport in eastern Nepal. In January 2008, the Nepalese government announced that the airport would be renamed in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to summit Mount Everest. The airport is very popular, as in the city of Lukla, many begin climbing Everest. You can read more about this airport
Let's talk about an unusual airport - Princess Juliana ... Imagine: you are lying on the beach, basking in the sun, drying yourself after another swim in the warm sea, pouring warm sand in your palms, looking at slowly passing clouds and suddenly ... Instead of a seagull right above you with a terrible rumble sweeps a huge liner!
Under the wing of an airplane...Princess Juliana Airport
And this is not an action movie script. You can see and experience all this by visiting the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean. In the south-west of the island, on the territory of the self-governing state of the Netherlands, Sint Maarten, one of the most dangerous airports in the world is located - Princess Juliana Airport. Its danger is that it is located close to Maho beach.
The length of the runway is very short, a little more than 2 km, so the planes are forced to land, literally, flying no more than 20 meters above the heads of vacationers. At the same time, they create a huge air flow that forms waves. Landing liners create excellent conditions for windsurfers.
Probably if they asked me: I would recommend Sint Maarten...
Caribbean - sea, beaches and islands. This is an area that is popular among lovers of beach tourism, diving, surfing and many other things related to the exotic. Saint Martin's Island is no exception to this. The island has it all. Beaches, exotics, the Caribbean Sea and Caribbean flavor are brought together. The island of St. Martin is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago and, accordingly, in the Caribbean Sea. Despite such a small area, 87 sq. km, the island is divided between two states - France and the Netherlands.
The hilly terrain, not densely covered with green forests and sandy beaches against the background of the blue sea, attract travelers from many countries of the world. Surprisingly, getting to the island is not difficult at all. There is an international airport on the island. In 1942, during World War II, an airstrip was built on the island. In 1944, Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands visited the island, landing on this runway. A year later, the Dutch authorities opened a small airport on this site, which later grew into an international one.
Princess Juliana Airport, also known as Saint Martin International Airport, serves the Dutch side of Saint Martin. In 2007, the airport served almost 1.7 million passengers and 104 thousand aircraft, which is still its record to this day. The airport serves as the air hub for the Windward Islands and is the main gateway to the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, St. Bartholomew and St. Eustatius.
Princess Juliana Airport is one of the most dangerous airports in the world, with a high landing difficulty. He received such fame because of the very low altitude when landing on the runway, and also that the Maho beach and the sea are almost adjacent to the runway. History Channel ranked it as the 4th most dangerous airport in the world.
Despite the fact that Princess Juliana Airport has a high landing difficulty, two accidents have occurred here in its history. The first occurred on May 2, 1970, when McDonnell Douglas DC-9CF Flight 980 crashed into the sea near the beach. 22 out of 57 people died. The weather at that time did not allow us to land the first time, the pilots decided to make a few more attempts, but, alas, the fuel ran out. The second - on December 21, 1972, the Air France De Havilland Canada Twin Otter flight took off from Guadeloupe, but fell into the sea on approach, killing all 11 passengers on board, along with both pilots.
Maho Beach is a very popular tourist destination. People come here not only for swimming. The great proximity of Princess Juliana Airport and Maho Beach has caused a huge flow of photo tourists to come here. The plane, coming in for landing, flies over the heads of tourists only at a height of not accustomed to 20 meters, and sometimes it flies at a height of 10 meters from the heads of tourists.
We can say that the island of St. Martin is more popular among photo tourists than among beach lovers. Almost everyone arriving at the Princess Juliana airport, after leaving the airport, does not go to the hotel, but goes straight to the beach to take a picture of themselves against the backdrop of a landing plane that flies overhead.
The runway is also small. Only 2180 by 45 meters. The strip is capable of passing up to 40 runs per hour. The area of the passenger terminal is 10400 sq. m, it also has 36 registration windows and 8 immigration terminals.
