WestJet Passengers Forced to Evacuate After ‘Hard Landing’ in St. Maarten

A WestJet plane flying from Toronto to Sint Maarten made a “hard landing” upon its arrival yesterday, the airline has confirmed. The incident required an emergency evacuation and firefighters on the scene.

“Emergency services responded immediately, deploying foam as a precaution,” per the company’s press release. “The aircraft’s slides were activated, and all guests and crew safely evacuated and were transported to the terminal.”

The incident occurred on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) around 5:29 p.m. local time.

Westjet added: “All guests are accounted for and there are no reported injuries.”

The cause is still unknown as WestJet awaits “confirmation on the exact nature of the incident.”

Video footage of the landing was captured via Sint Maarten’s livestream partner SHOWME Carribean on YouTube. 

In the video, the right main landing gear of the Boeing 737-800 collapsed as it touched the ground. The aircraft continued moving toward the end of the runway before making a complete stop. Within minutes, emergency crews from the airport arrived in firetrucks. Crews sprayed the aircraft with water, although no fire was seen.

After about eight minutes on the ground, the emergency slides were deployed. Passengers then made their evacuation onto the tarmac. 

“There were 164 souls on board,” the airport shared in a statement on social media. “Out of an abundance of caution, three individuals were taken for medical evaluation.”

Following the incident, the airport shut down in order to “safely remove the aircraft from the runway.”

Since Princess Juliana International Airport only has one runway, all operations to and from SXM were affected. According to local outlet The Daily Herald, a Delta Airlines and JetBlue flight were forced to divert to San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

Dr. Luc Mercelina, the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, issued a statement following the incident.

“First and foremost, we are grateful that the passengers and crew of WestJet flight WS2276 are safe following today’s incident at Princess Juliana International Airport,” he said. “The safety and security of travelers, our aviation personnel, and the general public remain our highest priority.”

He added: “While the runway remains closed for the time being, every measure is being taken to ensure that the airport resumes safe operations as soon as possible.”

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According to a press release from Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication minister Grisha Heylinger-Marten, by evening, most passengers had left the airport with vouchers for hotels, transportation and food. 

“It was clear that more work needs to be done regarding protocols for situations like this. For most, this was the first real-world incident of this magnitude, not a drill,” Heylinger-Marten wrote. “A full debriefing meeting with all stakeholders will take place so lessons are learned and improvements are made.”