WestJet plane from Toronto lands hard at St. Maarten airport Sunday. Global News
A WestJet plane flying from Toronto to St. Maarten made a hard landing on Sunday afternoon, but all passengers and crew walked away safely. The incident occurred at Princess Juliana International Airport, one of the Caribbean’s busiest hubs.
Emergency Response
The airline confirmed the event in a statement. “WestJet flight 2276, operating from Toronto, experienced a hard landing upon arrival at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) at 17:29 UTC today,” the company said.
Emergency crews rushed to the runway and sprayed foam around the aircraft. As a precaution, the plane’s slides were deployed. All passengers and crew evacuated quickly and reached the terminal.
WestJet stressed that everyone was safe. “All guests are accounted for and there are no reported injuries,” the statement said. The airline added that the cause of the incident remains unclear and that it is working with local authorities.
Stranded Travellers
The landing disrupted travel plans for other passengers at the airport. Among them was Toronto resident John Tzanetakis, who had spent 10 days in St. Maarten with his family. He had travelled to drop off his younger daughter at medical school and was preparing to fly home on another WestJet flight.
After hours of waiting, Tzanetakis said airport staff escorted him, his wife, and daughter out of the terminal. They later received a text message from the airline confirming that their flight had been cancelled.
“We’re going to try to find accommodations and hopefully they can rebook us maybe tomorrow,” he said.
Passengers Seek Answers
Tzanetakis expressed frustration over the lack of information. He said WestJet had not told travellers much beyond the fact that the runway had closed. “Right now, as I speak, they haven’t told us there was anything, an accident or anything like that. They just told us the runway is closed. That’s it,” he explained.
He said he and others learned about the hard landing mainly through social media. “The people here are very friendly and nice, so not to blame the people who work here, but WestJet hasn’t provided much information,” he added.
Travellers inside the airport described the mood as tense, with many people anxious and unsure of what was happening.
Next Steps
WestJet said it will release further updates once more details are available. For now, the airline’s focus remains on supporting passengers and crew from the affected flight.
Although some social media users called the event a “crash,” officials confirmed no injuries and no indication of a broader emergency.
The incident is under review, with cooperation between WestJet and local airport authorities.
