Princess Juliana International Airport, St Maarten (SXM)
If you’re heading to this island of two nations — the Dutch Sint Maarten and French Saint-Martin — you’ll probably be landing at SXM, where the runway skirts the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Maho Beach, at the end of the runway, is a bathing spot full of drama. As the planes swoop down right overhead, you may even be tempted to duck. For many tourists, a visit to this island isn’t complete until they experience one of those spectacular landings, with the jet engines roaring and stirring up a cloud of sand … Hold on to your belongings if you don’t want them blown into the sea!
