Skiathos tourist suffers serious head injuries as plane blasts her during take-off

Skiathos tourist suffers serious head injuries as plane blasts her during take-off A 52-year-old Italian woman was knocked off her feet by the blast from a jet engine as it took off from the airport on the Greek island of Skiathos A tourist suffered serious head injuries after being hit by the blast from a jet engine as it took off from a Greek island. The 52-year-old Italian woman was struck by the jet turbine wash as it left the airport on Skiathos and rushed to hospital. She had been on a road by the airport when the incident happened on Monday. Many tourists gather to watch planes taking off at a perimeter fence by the runway. Skiathos airport is close to the sea and it provides spectacular views of the aircraft. The woman was taken to Skiathos' Polyiatreio medical centre, where she underwent a CT scan before being airlifted to Volos General Hospital for further treatment. Her condition has been described as serious by the Greek outlet ERT. It has put the spotlight again on the practice of watching the planes so close up, with people previously caught out by the sudden blasts from the jet engines. Similar to the famous airport at St Maarten's Princess Juliana Airport in the Caribbean, planes come in to land and take off right over the beach. In September 2025, people were seen struggling to stay on their feet in footage with a plane overhead and a suitcase was swept into the sea. "I've been here for 23 years and I've had customers since then, people keep coming all the time to do the same thing and watch," a shop owner in the area said. Last year, sunbathers were filmed as they were sent flying on a beach by Princess Juliana Airport in St Maarten. The plane took off just 20m above their heads and sent down huge gusts of wind, scattering their belongings and knocking them to the ground. The incident unfolded on Maho Beach which is located just yards from the runway. There are signs dotted around the area warning tourists to stay away - as the powerful jet blasts can cause 'severe physical harm and/or death'.