Video shows pilot's view as plane lands at Princess Juliana airport
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Swooping in over a packed beach sometimes just 10 metres above the heads of holidaymakers, it's easy to see why Princess Juliana Airport on the Caribbean island of St Maarten is one of the least loved destinations for pilots.
Despite being the second-busiest airport in the Eastern Caribbean the runway at Princess Juliana is just 7,152 feet - less than half the length of many international airports.
However with the island being such a popular tourist destination, the airport regularly sees landings of some of the largest passenger jets including the mighty Boeing 747-400.
To make things even more tricky for pilots, a large bank of hills at one end of the runway means aircraft must circle round and come in to land from the sea which takes them over Maho Beach just a stone's throw from the runway and often packed with throngs of holidaymakers.
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Pilots have to swoop around the island to line up with the short runway, which leads inland from a popular beach
Tricky: The runway at Princess Juliana is just 7,152 feet - less than half the length of many international airports
Here we go: The view from inside the cockpit as the huge aircraft comes into land on the short runway at Princess Juliana International
The planes swoop in 10-20 meters over the heads of the tourists laying on the beach, resulting in amazing photos and landings have become so popular that the authorities have had to put up signs on warning that people could be injured or even killed by the blast from the jet engines.
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While some holidaymakers like to stand and snap the planes flying overhead, thrillseekers have also been known to hold on to the fence of the airport when a jet is getting ready to take off so they are blasted when the engine kick in, lifting them off the ground.
Now Dutch airline KLM has released a short film of a 747 flight from Amsterdam to Saint Maarten including rare footage of the aircraft coming in to land taken from inside the cockpit.
To make things even more tricky for pilots, a large bank of hills at one end of the runway means aircraft must circle round and come in to land from the sea which takes them over Maho Beach
Risk: A sign next to the beach warns that people can be killed by the jet blast from landing planes
Incoming!The KLM Jumbo Jet swoops in low over Maho beach in this image from the KLM film
A pair of plane spotters risk being blasted by a planes jet engines as it swoops in low over their heads to land at Princess Juliana
Plane attraction: Throngs of tourists and planes potters gather on Maho beach ahead of the arrival of a 747
Heads up! A huge KLM Jumbo Jet comes in to land at Princess Juliana Airport on the Caribbean island of St Maarten
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