A near miss for Lanzarote holidaymakers as plane overshoots the runway

Tuesday, 4th November 2008

Written by Francesca Cookney

Passengers on their way from Scotland to the Canary Islands had a near miss last week as their Air Europa flight overshot the runway and skidded to a halt on a narrow strip of beach.

The Boeing 737 left Glasgow early in the morning, arriving at the Spanish island resort of Lanzarote around 7am where it attempted to land at high speeds at Arrecife airport. The runway, which ends just meters from the sea, was wet and this caused the plane to skid, crashing through the fence and heading straight for the Atlantic Ocean.

The windy weather made it all the more difficult with "strong vibrations in the wings" reported by one passenger. A spokesperson for the carrier also told the press that they had experienced an "unstable approach" on account of the conditions.

Nobody was hurt and all 74 passengers and six crew were evacuated via the normal exits but it was enough to give people a bit of a jolt.

Nora McNair, 80, from Orkney, who was on board with her husband said: "We seemed to make a good landing, then we were coming along a bit fast, and the next thing we knew, the plane was rocking from side to side. They had to slam on the brakes and we just landed a few inches from the sea." Air Europa is launching an investigation.

Please add your comment here. Your Name *: Email (private) *: Town : Country :

Quick Links