It was a wrong handling and the Sky Express that was about to take off from the airport of Naxos landed … in a ditch next to the runway. The accident occurred at 5:30 Friday afternoon and the airport had to be closed for safety reasons.
None of the 47 passengers was injured.
Sky Express Flight was scheduled from Naxos to Athens.
The shocked passengers were transferred from the airport to the port of the island where they could get the next ship for Piraeus and the Greek mainland.
The late flight of Olympic Air was cancelled as the airport was closed.
According to local media naxostimes, Sky Express experts arrive later on the island with a helicopter in order to investigate the accident and organize its removal from the ditch.
“The accident will raise the issue of expanding the airport or even better build a new one outside the town of Naxos,” notes local media naxospress that posted also the airplane pictures shot by Alexandros Seintanis.
According to latest information, by 22:30 in the evening trucks and crane were seen at the airport waiting for the green light to launch the operation to bring back the plane type ATR 42 back to the runway, so that the airport can open again on Saturday.
UPDATE
The operation to remove the airplane from the ditch concluded at 6 o’ clock Saturday morning.
The airport opened again at 8:30 am, reports local media naxospress.
Have you ever think the conditions with in which the pilots are working?I have been member of greek company handling service in Island of Greece and i know many things about it.The salary of Pilots is very bad, also they are trying all the time to keep the timetable of flights working more hours over normal and at the end not enough time for check to airplanes.This is not happened for all Greek Aviations Companies, just i suggest you to fly only with “Aegean Airlines” or “Olympic Airways” in Greece which is just the best and safiest way.
I was on that flight. Yes no one was injured physically. But to feel yourself slipping backwards down an embankment in a plane is a terrifying feeling. I have been trying for 2 days to contact someone for at the very least a refund of my airline ticket. I can get no response from the airline at all. When I call the phone number I was given I am told to leave a voicemail and someone will contact me. 2 days later I have heard nothing.