The Caribbean beach where jetliners roar in over your head

Princess Juliana Airport sits in Sint Maarten, the island's Dutch side, meaning KLM planes make regular visits. (Shutterstock via CNN Newsource)

As tourists stand on the beach, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner swoops in to land less than 100 feet above their heads. Hands in the air, they pose for photographs. Later, they might be asked whether the pictures are real.

Maho Beach, on the northeastern Caribbean island of Saint Martin, is a haven for aviation geeks and thrill-seekers. Because of its small size and unique geography, the landing strip at Princess Juliana International Airport is separated from the beach by a single road. In peak season, there can be between 50 and 70 flights landing every day, almost close enough to touch.

“It’s scary,” says Franklin Wilson, who works in the operations department at the airport. “It feels like it’s coming straight at you.”

An avgeek’s dream

Saint Martin offers a mix of cultures and cuisines, and is a convenient base for tourists to go island hopping. But for many foreigners, the island’s biggest attraction is the flight itself.

Saint Martin, known as “The Friendly Island,” is the main transport hub for the northeastern Caribbean. Its 36 square miles are divided in two — the northern part, which is bigger, is ruled by France and known as Saint-Martin. The more populated southern section is part of the Netherlands, which calls it Sint Maarten. There are two airports, one French and one Dutch, but the majority of planes land at Princess Juliana, on the Dutch side. Under the IATA code SXM, it welcomes more than one million travelers a year, with direct flights from France, the Netherlands and numerous locations across the US.

“It is a thrill,” says May-Ling Chun, Sint Maarten’s director of tourism. “You’re asking yourself: where am I going to land? People are kind of squeezing the arms of their chairs while they’re looking out the window.”

The airport has been functioning for over 80 years, having originally opened as a military airstrip in 1942. It has long been an attraction for aviation geeks the world over, and has become a hot spot for influencers and content creators in the Instagram age.

“It’s on a lot of people’s bucket lists,” says Irving Maduro, who works with Wilson in the airport operations department and doubles as a freelance photographer. “I get quite a few influencers messaging me wanting their pictures taken.”

Performing for the crowds

For many pilots, it is a dream come true to land at SXM.

“They love the view,” says Maduro. “They love seeing the people on the beach below them.”

The challenge of landing so close to the people below — and to the fence that separates the public road from the landing strip — is comparable only to Skiathos International Airport in Greece. It can bring out the competitive side of the pilots.

“You have some pilots for whom it is a kind of contest (of how low you can land),” says Wilson, who also works as a freelance photographer. “In some of my images you can see some (planes) that are literally just a few feet above the fence.”

While safety always comes first, there is an element of performance for the crowd.

“You have pilots that come in higher and then you have pilots that give you a show,” says Maduro.

The lower the approach, the faster the landing.

“Once you see the plane combing the ocean, you know this guy’s coming in hot,” says Wilson. “Because you have to come in at a real speed to maintain that altitude. I have seen tourists scared that the airplane was coming right at them.”

For those in the know, there is one aircraft that makes a more spectacular landing than the rest.

“I always get excited to run to the airport when I know this particular Brazilian airplane is coming,” says Wilson. “They always give the beachgoers a low approach. They always give something to look forward to.” This private jet arrives like clockwork every Christmas Day, he says.

There have been injuries amongst the bystanders. Despite clear warnings not to stand behind the planes as they take off, there are often tourists who do so, wanting to feel the blast of air from the engines. On the beach, the blast is so forceful that it can send people running into the sea. The more foolhardy visitors try to cling to the fence, getting as close as they can to the planes, but this can be fatal. In 2017, a 57-year-old tourist from New Zealand died after being knocked off the fence by the blast from a departing 737.

“Lots of people go there just for that blast,” says Maduro. “You see them hanging on the fence and standing directly behind the aircraft. I don’t do that; I know how dangerous it can be, how many thousands of pounds of thrust comes out of the engines.”

A story of resilience

When Hurricane Irma struck the island in 2017, it left devastation in its wake.

“The airport was totally destroyed,” says Chun. “It created chaos.”

Since then, Princess Juliana Airport has been rebuilt, becoming a symbol of the island’s resilience. In 2024, it was officially reopened by Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.

It was a suitable fanfare for an airport beloved by avgeeks and travelers alike. Its uniqueness and its storied history make it an airport unlike any other in the world.

“I’ve been doing this now for over 20 years,” says Maduro. “Every day, it’s never the same landing.”

Joshua Korber Hoffman, CNN