St Maarten: low over Maho Beach
The approach that made plane-spotting famous: a three-degree final that crosses Maho Beach moments before touchdown.
St Maarten: low over Maho Beach
Princess Juliana International Airport · RWY 10
Why it is famous
Princess Juliana International’s runway 10 begins just behind Maho Beach. Aircraft on final cross the sand and the road at low height moments before touchdown — a sight that has drawn plane-spotters and tourists for decades. Signs on the beach warn about jet blast.
The jet-set gateway
The 7,546-foot runway, with its landing threshold displaced away from the beach, takes everything from widebody airliners to ultra-long-range business jets, which is why it is the gateway for travellers heading on to St Barts and Anguilla.
What to watch
- The standard three-degree glide path over Simpson Bay
- Maho Beach passing beneath the wheels
- The displaced threshold, placed so aircraft clear the beach
More legendary approaches
St Barts: the drop over the hill
Clear a ridge with a roundabout on top, dive for a runway barely 2,100 feet long and stop before the beach — one of the most famous landings in the world.
London City: the 5.5° dive past Canary Wharf
A glide path almost twice as steep as normal, between skyscrapers and the Thames — only specially approved aircraft may fly it.
Aspen: down the valley into the mountains
An airport at 7,820 feet in a narrow valley, with a wingspan limit that keeps some of the biggest private jets away.
Sources and credits
Imagery: NASA GIBS, with aerial photos from USGS, swisstopo, IGN and basemap.at where available · terrain © Mapterhorn (CC BY 4.0) · 3D aircraft models by Nick the Name and BlenderCommunityHead (CC BY 4.0) · 3D engine: CesiumJS.
- St Maarten: low over Maho Beach · Spotting973 · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons