KLM Royal
Dutch Airlines flew the Boeing 747-400 to Princess Juliana International
Airport, Sint Maarten since the 1990s. The Boeing 747-400 of KLM Royal Dutch
Airlines is known as the largest aircraft to fly to that airport on a tropical
island. The Princess Juliana International Airport is known as its "low
landing approach" over Maho Beach. When you visit the Maho Beach, an
aircraft that going to land on Princess Juliana International Airport's runway
will be only some feet over your head! KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has a program
on its YouTube channel named "KLM Cockpit Tales." One of its episodes
is "Big Plane, Short Runway" is talking about how to land a Boeing
747-400 on a short runway like the one that Sint Maarten has. For plane spotters, Princess Juliana International Airport is a paradise...
The last Boeing 747 landing on
Princess Juliana International Airport’s runway
|
But, the
Queen of the Skies’ story on Sint Maarten’s runway will come to the end...
On October
30, 2016, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operated the last ever Boeing 747 flight to
Sint Maarten. The flight was landed at Sint Maarten as flight KL785 before it
leaves for Curacao with the same flight number. The replacement aircraft for
the Sint Maarten route is the smaller Airbus A330-200 with only 243 seats
instead of 408 seats like on the Boeing 747-400. KLM Considered the Airbus A330-200
is more efficient than the Boeing 747-400. With the Boeing 747 gone from Sint
Maarten, there is no more chance for plane spotters to spot this jumbo again at
Sint Maarten. But, hopefully, the queen of the skies will return to Sint
Maarten, so people on the beach could hear the amazing sound of the four jet
engines of the Boeing 747, for a longer time.