Heart-stopping video shows Wizz Air passenger jet skimming just yards over tourists’ heads

This is the heart-stopping moment a Wizz Air passenger jet skimmed just yards over tourists’ heads as it came in to land at a Greek airport.

Dramatic footage of the landing was uploaded last week by a jet enthusiast who was positioned to watch planes touch down on Greece’s Skiathos island.

But even the seasoned plane spotters appeared shocked as the plane barrelled towards tarmac and narrowly cleared the airport’s perimeter fence.

The video opens by showing the plane in the distance cruising towards the Skiathos Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport over the turquoise Mediterranean waters.

Several people are shown to have gathered on the beach and a road that runs along a narrow bit of land between the sea and the runway.

As the Wizz Air-operated Airbus A321neo approaches, however, it is clear that the pilot is bringing it in at a low altitude. One onlooker even begins to move out of the way in anticipation of a low landing.

Others are heard shouting out in surprise over the roar of the engines as the pink and white jet swoops down until it is just a matter of yards over the heads of the plane spotters, and even wobbles slightly as it prepares for touchdown.

As it narrowly clears the perimeter fence, it is so low that it kicks up dust and sand into the air and ruffles the hair of one man who is seen in the footage flinching.

In another angle from a separate camera, people’s clothes are shown being buffeted by the gust caused by the jet. One young girl is even shown falling over backwards – knocked down by the force of the jet – while a woman loses her hat.

As this happens, the wheels of the plane make contact with the tarmac, and the pilot successfully lands the jet on Skiathos.

The video (picutred) opens by showing a plane in the distance cruising towards the Skiathos Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport over the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean 

As the Wizz Air-operated Airbus A321neo approaches, however, it is clear that the pilot is bringing it in at a low altitude, with one onlooker (left) even moving out of the way

As the jet lands, it clears the perimeter fence by a matter of yards, with the force knocking some of the gathered spectators backwards

One aviation buff, commentating underneath the video posted to YouTube by GreatFlyer on August 5, explained why the conditions meant such a low landing was necessary.

‘High temperature and very short runway, you have to do a deep landing to maximise the available runway for stop,’ they wrote.

‘Low cost airlines operates with short turnaround times, if you overheat the brakes you mess up the schedule if the plane.’

One person joked: ‘How many of the spectators do you think needed new pants?’. Another jested: ‘A powerfull hair dryer, isn’t it!?’

Others congratulated GreatFlyer for being able to keep his cool and capture the low landing from so many angles – while those around him were buffeted by the force.

‘That was absolutely insane! Wonderful capture mate, awesome job!’ one person wrote. ‘Amazing capture and thank you for the multiple angles, that’s exactly what I wanted to see as an aviation geek! Perfect,’ another said.

Amid some suggestions that the landing was reckless – and that the pilot may have deliberately approached at a low altitude to play up to the gathered crowd – one commenter hit back.

Pictured: A man holding a camera flinches as the jet comes into land on Skiathos island

In another angle from a separate camera, people’s clothes are shown being buffeted by the gust caused by the jet. One young girl is even shown falling over backwards – knocked down by the force of the jet – while a woman loses her hat

The airport’s runway (pictured in this aerial photograph) is found in the north-east of Skiathos island, and is built in-between two hills that flank the stretch of tarmac. The runway runs north-to-south and from coast-to-cast, meaning pilots have to approach as low as possible in order to give themselves enough runway to come to a stop

‘Before jumping to conclusion, let’s just say we don’t know why the plane ended up so scarily low on a fairly routine approach but I doubt it was “intentional” “showing off”,’ the person wrote on YouTube.

‘However, the people standing there were definitely standing there intentionally despite of the warning signs and traffic lights. You cannot get injured if you’re not standing there. Glad to see the plane eventually touched down without any damage.’

The airport’s runway is found in the north-east of Skiathos island, and is built in-between two hills that flank the stretch of tarmac.

The relatively short runway runs north-to-south and from coast-to-cast, meaning pilots have to approach as low as possible in order to give themselves enough runway to land on and come to a stop.

Its geography has made Skiathos a destination for plane watchers.

GreatFlyer compared last week’s Wizz Air landing with another low approach from an Air Italy landing in 2013 on the same island.

As with the Wizz Air flight, the Air Italy plane cleared the airport’s perimeter by a few yards, leading to some to claim it was the lowest landing ever captured on video. 

Some suggested last week’s low landing may have been even lower.

Nepal – Carribean