This was published 7 years ago
World's scariest runway: KLM Boeing 747 makes last landing at St Maarten airport video
The last KLM 747 has roared over sunbathers on St Maarten beach.Credit: iStock
Maho Beach might not be the Caribbean's most idyllic beach but it's not the white sand tourists turn up for.
Located on St Maarten, the small beach is popular among plane spotters and self-confessed aviation geeks for its extremely close proximity to one of the world's most scary runways.
Runway 10 at Princess Juliana International Airport is so short, that pilots must make their final approach just 100 feet over the heads of sunbathers.
Now, the KLM 747 landing, one of the most highly-anticipated, has come to an end. As of October 30, the flights will be operated by the smaller Airbus A330 instead.
The Dutch carrier's Airbus A330 will now take passengers on the direct non-stop service between Amsterdam and St. Maarten.
Thrillseekers will still be able to get close to the action but should be warned about the serious risks associated with plane spotting here.
There are signs around the beach warning tourists that the blasts from airplanes taking off can cause injury or death.
"Jet blast of departing and arriving aircraft can cause severe physical harm resulting in extreme bodily harm and/or death," the sign reads.
But that doesn't stop hundreds of people from showing up at the beach each day. Not even two tourists getting injured in 2012 has deterred thrill-seeking beach-goers. (The tourists survived their injuries.) Many bikini-clad women and men in swimming trunks regularly hang on to the fence as the jets take off.
It was totally amazing," Martha Hardesty, from New York, says after standing in the line of fire during one take-off. "Everything on our person, sunglasses, are gone. It's something you've never experienced in your life. Don't wear sunglasses."
Others plant themselves on bar stools at the Sunset Bar and Grill next to the Alegria Hotel to sip cocktails and watch at a close but safe distance. The bar embraces its location and has a surfboard that gives the times of each flight arriving each day.
See also: St Maarten airport landing video: World's scariest runway
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