Taking off and landing at Skiathos airport; the Greek St Maarten
" Skiathos Airport is Europe’s equivalent to St Maarten in the Caribbean, where aircraft literally pass right before your eyes while landing...".
One or two interesting facts; only aircraft Captains can land their aircraft here - if the Captain is incapacitated for whatever reason then the First Officer must divert. As it is airliners often have to make a refuelling stop-over on the Greek mainland because of the weight issues involved at Skiathos. The biggest aircraft to land at Skiathos was an Air Italy B767 in June 2011 (while I was there) - special dispensation had to be sought from the local aviation authority after the original aircraft planned for the sector went techical. The aircraft was flown in by one of the airline's most experienced Captains. According to the article the local authority are planning a 300 foot extension which will presumably encroach on the beach at the far (sea) end of the runway.
http://www.airportsworld.com/
