# Where Is This Greek Island (With An Impossibly Dangerous Airport Next To Tourists) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952 "2022-08-19T16:11:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/1 "2022-08-19T16:11:23Z")
Apparently Maho Beach in Aruba is not the only place in the world with an airport so close to publicly-accessible areas that planes fly feet above observers’ heads. According to this video, there’s one in Greece, but the narrator doesn’t say where. Anyone know? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EQD5ywu71vE/maxresdefault.jpg "Plane Makes Dangerously Low Landing") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQD5ywu71vE) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/2 "2022-08-19T16:15:04Z")
Skiathos, apparently. This is one of those videos that gets reuploaded by a bunch of different channels and each time, a little of the context is lost. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/3 "2022-08-19T16:17:04Z")
BTW, Maho Beach is in Saint Martin, not Aruba. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/4 "2022-08-19T16:17:43Z")
I was close 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/5 "2022-08-19T16:22:46Z")
I’d never wanna visit Aruba. If I could afford to I’d move to Saint Martin/Sint Maarten today. Picture I took, Maho beach: [![](https://i.imgur.com/G2bvHuu.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/G2bvHuu.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/6 "2022-08-19T16:56:33Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’d never wanna visit Aruba What about Jamaica? Bermuda? Bahama? Key Largo, Montego, why don’t we go… ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/7 "2022-08-19T17:34:16Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’d never wanna visit Aruba. What’s wrong with Aruba, in your opinion? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/8 "2022-08-19T18:08:29Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I was close 😉 They’re 600 miles apart. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/9 "2022-08-19T18:15:33Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > I’d never wanna visit Aruba. > > What’s wrong with Aruba, in your opinion? - I thought you didn’t like opinions in Factual Questions. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/10 "2022-08-19T19:05:39Z")
🔥 I love Jamaica, Dominica, St Martin, Barbados. Aruba hasn’t anything unique to offer and is extremely touristy. OK, I’d accept an all expense paid trip there. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/11 "2022-08-19T22:09:31Z")
I saw, only yesterday, that there is only one foreign fast food restaurant in Bermuda - a single KFC. [After it opened they were banned](https://bernews.com/2021/11/mashed-highlights-fast-food-restaurant-ban). I have no information about fast food places in Jamaica, Bahama, Key Largo or Montego if you go… ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/12 "2022-08-19T22:32:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Skiathos, apparently. I looked it up on Google Maps. Anyone know why the airport is pixelated out and the rest of the island isn’t? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/13 "2022-08-19T22:36:42Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I looked it up on Google Maps. Anyone know why the airport is pixelated out and the rest of the island isn’t? Greek military installation, maybe??? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/14 "2022-08-20T00:08:46Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I thought you didn’t like opinions in Factual Questions. [Moderating] If you have something personal to take up with another poster, take it to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/15 "2022-08-20T07:12:45Z")
Yeah, probably a military airstrip accepting civilian flights. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/16 "2022-08-20T08:23:19Z")
All greek airports are censored… Skiathos airport has never had anything to do with military , ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/17 "2022-08-20T09:10:48Z")
I’ve been to Skaithos. The airport beach is a novelty, nothing more; it’s quite small and remote from most of the tourist beaches, and you only go there to get blown around by turbulence for a laugh. The weirdest thing is that the runway is too short to allow fully fueled international flights to take off; so the plane has to stop off in Thessalonika to finish fueling the plane before you can go home. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/18 "2022-08-20T09:43:00Z")
Huh. Interesting. Is the rationale for this documented anywhere? (I would speculate, but look where that just got me!) ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/19 "2022-08-20T13:38:22Z")
Apparently most Greek airports are pixelated on Google Maps but not on Bing Maps, for some reason. [Here’s Skiathos airport at higher resolution.](https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=d2f4410b-206c-416a-990b-f277b9cdad3d&cp=39.177638~23.508072&lvl=15.178292&style=a&pi=0&imgid=25891ab8-1cb4-41e5-8a98-08764544d151&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952/20 "2022-08-20T19:56:44Z")
FWIW, that Wizz Air pilot in the OP is goofing up pretty thoroughly. or showing off dangerously, which is probably worse. There ought to be at least 40, and more like 60, feet of air below his wheels as he crosses the beach at the south end of the runway. Which this appears to be. Yeah, the runway is darn short. But not so short that an A321 at landing weight needs to be down there scraping people’s heads off. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-greek-island-with-an-impossibly-dangerous-airport-next-to-tourists/969952.md?page=2)