Boy, 12, blasted through the air by jet engine while watching planes take off

A BRITISH boy, 12, has been injured when he was blasted by a passenger jet engine while watching planes take off at the airport.

A BOY has been injured after he was blasted almost 10 metres through the air by the engine of a passenger jet at an airport in Greece.

The British boy, 12, was standing next to a fence at Skiathos Airport, where crowds often gather to watch planes take off and land.

But as the TUI Airbus A320 took off bound for London, the powerful engine sent the boy flying about 10 metres into the air before he came to land on the sand.

This file image shows a passenger jet flying low to the ground over the Greek island of Skiathos, where the boy was injured. Picture: Wikimedia Commons/Timo Breidenstein

He was taken to a nearby medical centre for emergency treatment before being transferred to Achilopouleio Hospital in Volos.

It is understood the boy was holidaying in Greece with his dad.

The Sun reported medics claimed the incident could have turned deadly if the boy had landed on another surface.

Thousands of plane-spotting tourists each year gather outside Skiathos Airport to experience the blast of the jet turbines as the aircraft fly low overhead.

Skiathos Airport is popular with plane-spotters. Picture: Wikimedia Commons/Paul Lakin

Despite the airport’s short and narrow runway, the island serves large commercial jets, with some airlines requiring pilots to have extra training to manage the unique landing.

The boy’s injuries come just months after another tourist was blown off his feet by a passenger jet at the same airport.

Paul Turner, from Cheshire, in the United Kingdom, was blown off his feet by a Thomas Cook jet engine while watching the planes, which was part of his bucket list.

A plane begins the famous landing at Princess Juliana International Airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.

He was violently thrown backwards but managed to escape unharmed.

Low-flying passenger jets are also infamous at Princess Juliana International Airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, which is also known for its unique landings.

A New Zealand woman was killed near the airport in July last year, when she was tossed by the jet blast from a plane that was taking off.

A warning sign close to the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport. Picture: Getty Images

The 57-year-old tourist was seriously injured and died a short time later.

Despite warning signs for jet blasts on popular Maho Beach right next to the airport, the area has remained a popular tourist spot for plane watching.

In July this year, a couple from the Ukraine were criticised for daring photos in which they performed acrobatics mere metres from a low-flying plane on Maho Beach.