Skiathos – an unusual airport
Great sighting of planes overhead
Many travelers admire the iconic photos of how on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, airliners land low over the heads of people lounging on Maho Beach. Taking a selfie with a Boeing overhead is the dream of many (and not only) teenagers.
However, relatively few travelers know that a similar attraction can be enjoyed in Europe as well. The so-called „European St. Maarten“ is located on the Greek island of Skiathos. This small island in the northwest of the Aegean Sea became famous because the movie Mamma Mia was filmed here.
Shortest runway
An international airport (code JSI) has been in operation in the east of this islet since 1972. The island is small and rugged, so eventually the airport was built on the spot between Skiathos and the small neighboring islet of Lazareta, connecting the two islands and obtaining the necessary flat surface. But there are not many places here – the runway is therefore only 1628 meters long. And thus it is among the shortest runways for regular flights in Europe. At either end of them is the sea, to the north is the beach right next to the runway, and to the south is the local street right at the end of the runway and beyond that the wharf.
Theater for tourists
It is therefore not surprising that the landing and departure of planes at this airport is a real theater for tourists, and the so-called planespotters.
Planes land here just above the heads of observers standing on the beach or on the local street adjacent to the runway.
A small airport with direct flights from Prague
The airport, whose full name is Skiathos Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport, is named after a prominent Greek writer who lived on the island. This small airport is quite busy during the summer season, but there are only 6 parking spaces for aircraft.
Direct Ryanair flights fly here from Prague in the summer.
Landing over the harbor
When arriving from the south, the planes hover just above the anchored ships
Airplanes directly overhead
Airplanes land directly over the heads of observers standing on the street adjacent to the runway.
Landing light
A traffic light on the coast road ensures that cars do not get caught in the vortex of landing planes.
Dangerous air vortices
Strong air vortices during takeoff can be very dangerous for unwary observers. Wearing glasses is definitely recommended.
