Tourist injured at Skiathos International Airport when plane’s engine knocked her to ground
The airport is recognised as one of the worst in the world.
A tourist has been left hospitalised after a visit to the airport went horribly wrong.
On August 10, the 52-year-old Italian woman was visiting a Greek beach famous for plane watching.
She was reportedly knocked to the ground by the roaring engines of a plane just near Skiathos International Airport.
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The woman was rushed to a nearby health centre for a CT scan to determine the extent of her injuries, The Sun reported.
Soon after, because of her injuries, she was airlifted to hospital for further treatment.
While it is not known which airline was involved in the incident, nor the type of plane, aviation outlet Aero Telegraf reported that it was likely a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
The outlet wrote that the jet stream of an aircraft was more than just a “strong wind”.
“In the case of a large turbofan engine, the air speed directly behind the engine can exceed 800 km/h,” a translated quote read.
An investigation has now been launched to determine why she was in such close proximity to the aircraft.
Skiathos International Airport is notorious among plane-watchers across the globe.
As the planes come in to land, they swoop over a nearby beach.
Like many tourists do, the 52-year-old was reportedly standing close to the airport’s fence for the plane’s take-off.
Signs are plastered around the perimeter of the airport to warn plane-watchers of the dangers.
Among pilots, the airport is known as difficult, with former pilot Todd Smith telling The Sun that the landing was “tricky”.
“It’s certainly a tricky landing,” he said.
“We have to land quite hard and we have to use a lot of braking which wears the brakes out and is uncomfortable for passengers.
“When we take off, we have to use a very high thrust setting because we have to use enough power due to the shortness of the runway.
“We don’t often take off with full power but Skiathos is an airport where it is likely for us to opt for this.”
Because of its location and narrow runway, it has been voted one of the worst airports in the world.
