Visually stunning: Planes make "haircut-style" landings right next to the beach

▲ Planes and the beach are incredibly close — a breathtaking sight!(Photo/From Wikimedia Commons)

Travel Center / Taipei Report

This beach, where planes fly so close, is not a Photoshopped image or an animation effect, but a real coastal shoreline. The massive aircraft bodies are just inches away, and the level of visual impact is so intense that visitors seize every opportunity during landings to capture beautiful moments.


▲ Tourists frantically take photos as planes land. (Photo/Visual China CFP)

The location photographed is Maho Beach, on the southern side of St. Maarten in the Caribbean. It has become a famous tourist destination because visitors can watch planes take off and land from an extremely close distance. The adjacent airport is the Princess Juliana International Airport, which has a runway only 2,349 meters long. As a result, large passenger planes must fly very low when landing, sometimes just 10 to 20 meters above Maho Beach, creating a unique spectacle. Many tourists specifically come here to experience this extraordinary and thrilling feeling.

% Plane almost skims the beach before landing (YouTube/If deleted, please accept our apologies)


▲ The ultra-close landings make it seem like you could almost touch the aircraft. (Photo/Visual China CFP)

This so-called "haircut-style" landing actually carries some danger, as planes generate strong turbulence during landing. Maho Beach has posted warning signs advising visitors that the powerful tailwinds could potentially blow them into the sea.

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