Woman 'blasted to ground by plane jet' during take off at airport rushed to hospital

A 52-year-old Italian woman was reportedly thrown onto the ground by the turbine wash of a plane as it took off from Skiathos Airport in Greece, according to local media

Comments

News

Abigail Hunt Content Editor

09:30, 12 Aug 2026Updated 09:39, 12 Aug 2026

[Footage of a low landing on Greece's Skiathos island (stock)]

Footage of a low landing on Greece's Skiathos island (stock)

A tourist has been seriously injured following an incident on the Greek island of Skiathos, according to local media.

A 52-year-old Italian woman was hurled to the ground by the jet blast from an aircraft as it departed from the island's airport, state broadcaster ERT reports.

The jet blast creates powerful winds from the aircraft's engines during takeoff, which can be extremely dangerous to anyone in close proximity. The woman suffered severe head injuries as she stood near a road adjacent to Skiathos Airport renowned for plane spotting. She was transported to the Polyiatreio medical centre and given a CT scan before being airlifted to Volos General Hospital for further treatment.

[A woman has been rushed to hospital following the horror incident]

A woman has been rushed to hospital following the horror incident(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The runway at Skiathos measures just 5,341 feet in length, significantly shorter than typical but not quite claiming the record. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the Caribbean island of Saba boasts the shortest runway used for commercial service globally, at merely 1,312 feet.

By contrast, London Heathrow's northern runway stretches approximately 12,801 feet.

Despite its comparatively brief runway length, Skiathos Airport can handle aircraft as substantial as a Boeing 767-200 and operates flights from throughout Europe.

However, only pilots who have undergone special training and certification are permitted to land commercial aircraft there, and they must immediately apply maximum automatic braking and reverse thrust to safely decelerate the plane.

Numerous tourists gather around the airport's perimeter and adjacent roads to witness planes landing, relishing the close-up views of the aircraft.

Article continues below

At times, the airflow from jet engines can be potent enough to topple people and their possessions, even resulting in injuries, as the planes fly low overhead.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.