A KLM Airbus A330 was stuck twice on the runway of Sint Maarten yesterday. Both on arrival and departure there was no movement in the nose wheel and the aircraft had to be towed away. The second time, the Airbus blocked the runway for two hours and the passengers had to be taken off the plane on the spot and taken back to the terminal by bus.
The technical defect is confirmed by the airport of Sint Maarten. Both times the aircraft came to a standstill near a turning circle on the airport’s only runway. Large aircraft such as KLM’s Airbus A330 also partly use the runway on Sint Maarten as a taxiway. At the end of the runway is a turning circle where the aircraft can turn around,
The problems with the KLM aircraft could be followed live via a webcam. The radio traffic between the pilots and the control tower could also be heard. Just before departure, around midnight (Dutch time), the pilots ask for a tow truck, because the steering of the nose wheel failed for the second time that day.
Two hours across the track
Later, buses are also requested to allow passengers to disembark on the runway. The Airbus was perpendicular to the runway for two hours, so that only small planes could take off. The passengers who were supposed to fly to Schiphol have been returned to the terminal. The flight has been delayed. A traveler complains on twitter about a lack of information.
Spectacular landings
Sint Maarten International Airport is located in the Dutch part of the French/Dutch Caribbean island. The airport is famous for the spectacular approaches that planes have to make to land there. The runway is meters away from a small beach, where tourists are sometimes blown into the sea by the force of starting engines and planes can almost touch as they land.