Dramatic footage of a British Airways Embraer 190 coming in for a particularly low landing on the Greek island of Skiathos last week shows a couple being nudged off a low wall they were standing on by the jet blast.
Aircraft that land on the island’s 1.6km runway need to make a low approach and fly over a beach and road before touching down on the tarmac. A sign near the runway warns people to keep clear of the area: ‘Danger. Please keep away from aircraft blast.’ However, there are always those willing to put themselves in possible harm’s way to film, take photos or simply watch the landings up close.
In 2018, a British schoolboy visiting the island with his dad stood next to the fence at the airport to get an up-close view of the planes landing and the jet blast from an airplane sent him flying 10m through the air. Fortunately, he landed in a sandy patch but he sustained injuries and was treated at a local hospital.
According to aviation enthusiast ‘Cargospotter’, who published the video above, ‘Sometimes, when the weather is good up to 100 people show up behind the runway to watch the planes land and depart.’
The largest airplane allowed to land at the Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport’s short and narrow runway on Skiathos is a Boeing 757-200.
Image: Cargospotter/YouTube
