A Sunexpress flight from Turkey made a dramatic landing at Edinburgh Airport as it was buffeted by winds from Storm Boelo. Flight XQ598 from Antalya to Edinburgh landed safely shortly before 12.10pm on Sunday, October 25, while the Met Office amber wind warning was in force.
Storm Brings 80mph Winds to Scotland
Several flights were cancelled or diverted across the country over the weekend as the storm brought winds in excess of 80mph to Scotland. The flight had been relatively uneventful after taking off from southern Turkey around five hours earlier.
However, dramatic footage shared on social media shows how the flight came within inches of disaster. In the footage, the Boeing 737 Max 8 can be seen coming into land at Edinburgh as it is buffeted by the winds.
Wing Nearly Touches Tarmac
The wings flex as gusts hit the aircraft on its descent as it approaches at a jaunty angle. As it nears the ground, the wind appears to strengthen, almost blowing the aircraft off course, as it flies with one wing higher than the other.
Despite the challenging conditions - which forced several other flights to abort landings - the pilots wrestle the plane to the ground as its right-hand wing comes within inches of touching the tarmac and potentially damaging the aircraft. Once on the ground, it is as if nothing unusual had happened and the flight continues as normal to the terminal.
Viewers Praise Pilots' Skill
A number of people have commented praising the pilots for their skill in bringing the plane and its passengers safely into the capital. One said: "Huge respect to the pilots working in these conditions."
Another added: "Now that's what you call skilled flying. I can't imagine the sheer amount of stress pilots come under flying in these conditions." A third added: "Hats off to all pilots today. Amazing footage and landings in awful conditions."
Another said: "We were there watching, I was shocked that it even landed. Defo should have been a go around. Very scary to watch." After seeing the video, one person on the flight said: "We were on the flight, could feel it landing on one wheel, never realised it was that close."
