A viral YouTube video showed onlookers having to duck as jet lands. You know those Instagram images of a person standing with their arms straight up, a jet landing just out of the reach of their fingertips? Well, there’s a place where a jet landed so close to the people, that onlookers had to duck.
After, the Airbus 321 was notified that it had a record-setting landing that day. Recorded as the “lowest landing ever,” onlookers have to duck as the jet lands on the viral Youtube video. Runaways are usually up to about two-and-a-half miles long. Thus giving pilots ample opportunity to execute a shallow descent before touching their wheels to the ground. The runway at Skiathos Airport is only a mile long; which means pilots have to descend at a much steeper rate.
Photographers, travelers and the curious come to see the jets land at such a close proximity to their heads. Warning signs are posted, letting the people know the dangers of standing too close to the path of the jet.
The island of Skiathos, Greece welcomes over three million tourists annually. As the most populated Greek island, it brings the need for large jets to land the short runway. Seeing a boat and a commercial jet in the same frame is a unique sight. One that the people of Skiathos see on a daily basis.
Skiathos became an overnight sensation when the movie, Mamma Mia hit the big screen. In Focus Skiathos says it, “became increasingly appealing to youngsters due to its vivid nightlife that was a common secret among domestic travelers until then.”
Before that fateful time, the island was known for a quiet and relaxing time. Although, the runway was short then too.