Incredible facts
The most incredible airport is located on the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean Sea. The strange thing about this airport is that planes, coming in to land, fly a few meters above the beach with tourists vacationing there, and the runway itself begins very close to the coast.
Looking at the photos of Boeings and Airbuses landing, it may seem that this is just a joke for those who like to play with Photoshop, but the reality is this: the island’s territory is so small, and there are so many people who want to come here, that you have to save space.
The slightest mistake by the pilot and you could end up in the water.
Planes are landing, disturbing the serene rest of vacationers.
The airport was built to serve the island of Sint Maarten. In the eastern Caribbean, this airport is the second busiest.
The runway is very small and starts just 12 meters from the beach, being only 2180 meters long.
Fortunately, there have been no reports of any accidents in the area of this dangerous airport.
Those who are afraid of thrills will prefer another, less “nervous” place to relax.
1) Airport on the Caribbean island of Saba. The runway of this airport is located in a rather strange place: there are cliffs at both ends. However, it costs an experienced pilot nothing to land the plane in the right place if there is at least some kind of runway.
A similar situation is observed on Madeira Island , where there is a break on one side of the strip. Some time ago, this airport was notorious because it had a too short runway, which was sandwiched on one side by mountains and on the other by the ocean. Later the strip was expanded and doubled in size by installing a bridge with columns on one side.
Mountain Airport
2) Courchevel Airport (France). Courchevel is the name of a ski resort in the French Alps, which is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of tourists. The easiest way to get to these places is to take a plane.
Do you think it is impossible to build an airport in the mountains? It is possible, although a little strange. Courchevel Airport has a very short runway - only 525 meters long, with a slope of 18.5 degrees!
3) Barra Airport is the only airport in the world where planes land directly on the beach. The Isle of Barra is one of the islands of the Outer Hebrides archipelago, which belongs to Great Britain.
There is virtually no runway in these places, and planes land directly on the beach. Due to the tides, once a day this strange airport is literally submerged under water. Needless to say that relaxing on this beach is prohibited?
Unusual airport on the island
4) Kansai International Airport The Japanese city of Osaka occupies an entire island. Since the Japanese cannot boast of large spaces, and every piece of land matters, they had to build an airport, first building an island for it.
The artificial island consists of two parts, the length of most of it is 4 kilometers, and the width of the island is 2.5 kilometers. This island is a true masterpiece of engineering. Unfortunately, due to global warming and rising sea levels, this artificial island is in danger of being flooded.
People go here for an indescribable thrill, because literally 10-20 meters above the beach and tourists roar giant airliners coming in to land. A dangerous but fascinating sight!
Maho Beach is located very close to Princess Juliana International Airport.
Due to the short length of the runway (2,180 meters), planes are forced to land as close to the beginning as possible, flying directly over the heads of vacationers at an altitude of 10-20 meters from the ground.
This beach is extremely popular among thrill-seekers and photographers who want to capture the low-flying jumbo jet.
All bars on Maho Beach have the following signs with the schedule of arriving flights:
There are also warning signs that jets of air from aircraft jet engines can be thrown into the sea, injure or even kill. But this stops few people:
On average, only every 4th plane landing here can create a strong gust of wind with its jet engines. Then vacationers have a hard time:
Despite the difficult conditions for landing, not a single crash has been recorded so far.
Extreme sports enthusiasts strive to be right above the landing airliner. And this is one of the largest passenger aircraft in the world landing - Boeing 747:
It's hard to believe that this is not a photo montage, but real photographs:
Source
There are many unique places on our planet, and one of them is in Phuket - this is a beach located in close proximity to the landing strip. In this area of the sea coast on Mai Khao (Nai Yang) beach, you can capture airplanes taking off and landing in photos or videos and admire the unusual view.
Moreover, today there is such a direction in photography as spotting. This hobby has become an exciting hobby for many who love photographing unusual situations and objects. Selfie lovers visiting this country will definitely choose the beach on the coast in Phuket, where planes land overhead.
In fact, air transport lands 100 meters from the coastline, due to the runway located perpendicularly. The beach section, which is located in front of the airport, is an open and unguarded place. Thus, any traveler can visit here. Everyone will agree that the sight of an airplane taking off overhead and the power of this iron machine, weighing several hundred tons, is simply mesmerizing and makes the heart beat faster.
Please pay attention! Remember that landing an airplane is a complex technical process. When visiting this beach, you should be extremely careful, since the warm air currents from the turbines of aircraft can literally knock you off your feet.
Location of Mai Khao Beach
If you fly to Phuket, then finding Mai Khao Beach will not be difficult. As mentioned above, it is located in close proximity to the airport in the northeast of the island.
The beach itself is a fairly long strip of sand, the length of which is 11 kilometers. Previously, this was a favorite nesting site for leatherback turtles, which laid their eggs here. Today it is a developed part of the sea coast with a familiar, but rather modest infrastructure for tourists.
We also note that the place where the beach is located, where you can relax and enjoy the magnificent spectacle of planes taking off, is located within the boundaries of the Sirinath National Park. Therefore, in addition to the main attraction, tourists will be able to get wonderful impressions of exotic landscapes, unique flora and fauna for which Thailand is so famous.
Beach Features
Near the beach, travelers will not find cafes and restaurants familiar to most resorts. Nevertheless, this area does not lose popularity, because its main advantage is that tourists and vacationers can capture how the plane will land.
- There is no special rescue service on the beach;
- The shore itself is not suitable for relaxing and swimming with children due to the problematic uneven bottom, which is unsafe for children;
- On this beach, as a rule, there are few umbrellas and sunbeds; such equipment is provided on the territory of hotels;
- When going to the beach, be sure to take sunscreen with you, since there are no protective canopies on the coast.
We can say that the beach is not the best place for those who are used to comfortable relaxation, shopping, nightlife and entertainment. However, this is a popular part of the island for people who love thrills.
During the day, Mai Khao is almost always crowded, everyone is trying to catch an unusual shot. If you need to conduct a professional photo shoot, then it is better to arrive before 9 am or after 19 pm. The planes will also fly low over the beach, but other tourists will not be present in the pictures.
Favorable weather, when the sea is calm, lasts in this place from November to April. At this time, it will be easier to photograph a low-flying airliner against a cloudless sky. Although hotel prices are lower from May to October.
It is not every day that you can see flying planes; this is directly related to weather conditions. After all, airliners choose their landing site depending on the wind. But the plane takes off in only one direction - over the beach. The airliners fly so low that you can feel the heat of the turbines and the vibration of the air from their operation. Gusts of wind sometimes carry away tourists' clothes and slippers, and also lift heaps of sand and shells into the air. Security guards constantly drive away the most curious from the fences behind which the airport begins. Therefore, it is better not to approach the fence directly.
How to get to Mai Khao
Although the beach and the unusual airport are located nearby, it is impossible to move freely from one to the other. There are several ways to get to this place on the coast in order to capture airbuses flying nearby.
The best option to get from the airport to the beach is by taxi (Highway 402). Public transport is rare. From the highway, the path goes through the Sirinath National Park or the Centara Hotel. Please note that for vehicle owners there is an entrance fee to the park, which is about 100 baht.
Another option is to go through the water park located in the southern part of the island. If you came with a rented vehicle, then you will have a place to leave it. The water park has parking. You can also book a beach transfer here with cargo and passenger planes flying to Phuket.
As mentioned above, Mai Khao Beach is not the best place for shopping and entertainment. Although here you can do some shopping in the turtle village (food, drinks, souvenirs). The main attraction is the sight of the planes landing.
The nearest entertainment center is an hour's drive from the beach. Please note that due to the fact that Mai Khao is part of a national park, this beach is closed to all types of watercraft equipped with engines, including scooters.
That is, Mai Khao is an ideal place for people who love thrills (photos of airplanes up close), as well as those who come to relax and enjoy exotic nature, long walks along the seashore or enjoying the bright and lush landscapes of the national park.
Climate and attractions
On the beach, travelers can not only take photographs of airliners taking off, but also enjoy the natural features of this island.
Vacationers can take advantage of the small shops located along the coast. As a rule, near each of them there is an open area with a couple of tables where you can sit with friends and drink refreshments.
Another interesting attraction of this island with a unique beach where airplanes fly is the fund for helping stray cats and dogs (Soi Mai Khao, 10). As a rule, visitors to this place are couples with children who want to play with the animals. The conditions for keeping pets here are very decent, and admission is free, and tourists can watch exotic animals at any time.
In 2017, Phuket was one of the top three islands where tourists prefer to spend their holidays. Here you can see not only how airliners fly by or take off, but also a lot of other attractions.
Mai Khao is a place where you can get a lot of impressions from airliners flying overhead. But for a leisurely holiday on the sea coast, it is better to choose other beaches on the island.
Video
In the Caribbean Sint Maarten (the southern Dutch part of the island of St. Maarten), you can sunbathe under the wing of an airplane: liners flying over Maho Bay are the main attraction of the coast. The snow-white strip of the beach abuts the runway of Princess Juliana Airport, giving all vacationers at the resort the opportunity to enjoy the amazing landscapes. It seems you can reach the planes flying directly overhead. Huge liners, descending, literally knock tourists off their feet: the gusts of wind are so strong that warning signs have been installed on the coast. Smaller copies of signs reading “Low-flying aircraft can cause injury” are the island's most popular souvenir.
The schedule for the nearest landings can always be found in cafes, bars, hotel lobbies and beach restaurants, so keeping track of the approaching aircraft is an easy task. The largest number of planes land here in the morning and afternoon.
When choosing Maho Bay as a holiday destination in Sint Maarten, be careful: planes fly here really often, and the daily noise of the engines - after photographing a couple of dozen planes - can interfere with a pleasant holiday. Be sure to hold your children's hands: the wind gusts when the liners approach are quite strong. To protect the health of children, it is better to use earplugs. When landing giants of the air, you should not hold on to the airport fence: debris and gravel rising into the air can seriously injure you.
You can also watch planes take off and land from the windows of hotels surrounding Maho Bay.
Sint Maarten lies on the south-eastern periphery of the Caribbean hurricane belt and may be subject to typhoons, most likely between July-August and October, so travel during this period is best avoided.
How to get there
The island of Sint Maarten is located in the Windward Islands group of the Caribbean Sea. Most planes land at Princess Juliana Airport, one of the most popular in the region. The most convenient way to get to the island is with transfers in the cities of New York, Philadelphia and Miami. During the high season - from November to May - you can also fly direct from Toronto.
The airline operating in Sint Maarten is Windward Islands Airways International N.V., also known as . It flies internationally from Princess Juliana Airport to the neighboring islands of Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda.
Location
Maho Bay with the beach of the same name is located on the southwestern coast of the island, located in the northern part of the group of Windward Antilles (Leeward Islands, Islas de Barlovento).
Spotting is the name given to photographing aircraft landing at close range. In Phuket, the beach with airplanes is a real attraction. People come there not to swim, but to capture impressions and take unusual photographs. On the map this beach is marked as Nai Yang. Very close to Mai Khao Beach. I didn’t see any special marks or designations where one beach ends and another begins.
How to get to the beach with planes in Phuket
You need to go towards Phuket airport. You don’t need to get to the airport itself; it’s better to follow the signs to Sirinath National Park and park your car there, and then walk along the sea in the shade to the beach with the airplanes.
Taxi cost 1000 baht one way. Plan to visit the beach for several hours. If you wake up late, the whole daylight hours will go away.
Is the beach with planes worth 2000 baht and a whole day? It's up to you to decide. We spent a wonderful day full of impressions, walked around Sirinath Park, saw enough planes, and saw a piece of another Phuket. But it was not possible to take super photographs. The weather was gloomy. Good for walking, but not so good for photographs. Well, we are not such professionals as to catch amazing shots at once.
Well, we tried :))
Maxim and I walked to the beach along the sea from the Sirinat National Park. Everyone usually scolds him, saying there’s nothing to do there. We liked.
When planes land on the beach
If you have the time and desire to see a slightly different Phuket, head to the beach with planes early, right in the early morning. There are many people who want to photograph themselves against the backdrop of an airplane. Chinese, Europeans, Russians, families, couples, large groups, with small children - there are so many spotting lovers here! At the height of the day, you will need to try very hard to get a good shot!
They say there are gaps in the plane schedule. You can sit waiting for two hours and not catch a single plane. We were lucky, the landings came one after another.
Beach safety with planes in Phuket
The runway is literally a few meters from the beach. There are barriers, but it’s still better to take care of safety yourself.
When the plane takes off, the turbines create a wave of hot air. It literally knocks you off your feet and covers your eyes and nose if you stand with your back to the sea, facing the plane. It is better at this moment to sit on the ground and cover the child with a towel. Hats, panama hats and caps fly away just like that! Either put them away or hold them with your hands.
And this plane is getting ready to take off
But you can watch landing planes from any angle, even standing, lying down, or jumping. It's fun!